Hapag-Lloyd setting up terminals division and appoints CEO

The line’s terminal infrastructure will be pooled under Rotterdam-based Hapag-Lloyd Terminal Holding. The Supervisory Board of Hapag-Lloyd has appointed Dheeraj Bhatia to the company’s Executive Board effective 1 January 2024 and he will also become CEO of the new division.

Bhatia will be the first Indian national as well as the fifth member of the Executive Board – alongside CEO Rolf Habben Jansen, CIO/CHRO Donya-Florence Amer, CFO/CPO Mark Frese and COO Dr Maximilian Rothkopf.

Dheeraj Bhatia has more than 20 years of experience in the container shipping business. During this time, he has held several international management positions, including at Norasia Container Lines Limited and CSAV. In 2014, Bhatia joined Hapag-Lloyd as Managing Director and initially headed Area India.

Since 2018, he has been based in Dubai and serving as Senior Managing Director of Region Middle East. At the same time, he has been a member of Hapag-Lloyd’s Executive Committee.

“With Dheeraj Bhatia’s appointment, we are gaining a proven expert in container shipping for the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG. Thanks to his international experience, the Supervisory Board is firmly convinced that the development, expansion, and integration of our terminal portfolio will be in the best of hands,” said Michael Behrendt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hapag-Lloyd.

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Hapag-Lloyd follows the top three container lines MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM in setting up a separate terminals business.