Lucie Rychla
June 23rd, 2016

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Søren Skou has been with AP Møller-Maersk for 33 years (photo: Maersk Line)

Søren Skou, the current CEO of Maersk Line, has been appointed the new head of the entire AP Møller-Maersk conglomerate.

On July 1, Skou will replace Nils Smedegaard Andersen, who has decided to leave the position he has held since December 2007.

According to Michael Pram Rasmussen, the board chairman at Maersk Group, Skou has “solid business understanding with extensive knowledge of the group’s various business areas and has successfully restructured the companies he has led so far”.

READ MORE: Maersk considering shutting down North Sea production

Seasoned employee
Skou joined AP Møller-Maersk in 1983 and has been a member of the executive board since 2006.

In 2012, he was appointed the CEO of Maersk Line, the company’s container division and its largest operating unit.

Skou will remain at his current post, while simultaneously holding the position as the CEO of the Maersk Group.

READ MORE: Maersk Line cost-cutting includes significant fleet reduction

Responding to new challenges
Some of his new tasks will include finding strategic and structural opportunities for the further acceleration of sales and increasing synergies across the group.

“I look forward to the opportunity of leading Maersk Group into the next phase of our strategic development,” Skou stated.

“The rapid changes in the world require that we adapt quickly, easily and with minimal cost, while simultaneously focusing on each business. Our future set-up must effectively respond to these challenges.”

Global conglomerate
The Maersk Group is a global conglomerate operating in trade, shipping and energy.

It has five core businesses which include Maersk Line, APM Terminals, Maersk Oil, Maersk Drilling and APM Shipping Services, which consists of four business units – Maersk Supply Service, Svitzer, Maersk Tankers and Damco.

The Group has a presence in about 130 countries and employs nearly 90,000 people.