Wilhelmsen Ships Service appoints new General Manager in Saudi Arabia

Wilhelmsen Ships Service has named Alex Lewis as the new General Manager for their operations in Saudi Arabia. He brings a wealth of experience to his new position including ten years from within Wilhelmsen Ships Service. Prior to this appointment he held positions in both the Middle East and Africa, where he helped to establish offices in both Das Es Salaam and Nairobi. His last posting as General Manager of Wilhelmsen Ships Service in Kuwait saw both sales and EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) double during his three year tenure.
The Saudi Arabian market is core to the development of our business in the Middle East.said Richard Mogg, Area Director- Middle East. Alex Lewis's appointment follows the recent strengthening our capabilities in Sales and Operations. We have been trading in Saudi Arabia for over 30 years but we expect large scale investments in port and industrial infrastructure will create opportunities that we have not seen before. We will soon have a strong organisation which can take those opportunities.
Despite the global economic down-turn major projects are still continuing in Saudi Arabia and are planned to commence in the coming months and years. Wilhelmsen Ships Service is involved in a number of ongoing major infrastructure projects such as a cement plant relocation to Rabigh, Manifa causeway construction, as well as Ras Al Zour port construction, which is critical to the success of Saudi Arabia's ambitious $3.5 billion downstream oil and gas projects. The landmark project at Ras Al Zour will cover approximately 1,097 miles and provide for the transportation of freight, minerals and passengers across Saudi Arabia. The associated railway project is scheduled for completion in 2012.
Alex Lewis is very enthusiastic about these developments. These investments in infrastructure will significantly increase shipping traffic in this area. To further strengthen our ability to meet the developing requirements of our customers, we will initially concentrate on standardising services across the Kingdom. We will also develop of our sales and customer service capabilities by increasing our service standards and the availability of our Unitor products. We want to be regarded by our customers as the best in the business here in Saudi Arabia. We will achieve this through focusing on our company values and constant attention to our quality system.
The acting General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Oystein K Nilssen, has returned to his principal role as General Manager of Wilhelmsen Ships Service in Bahrain.
Alex Lewis will be based in Dammam and report to Richard Mogg, Area Director- Middle East. His appointment came into effect from 1 January 2009.

Source: Transportweekly