Hapag-Lloyd Announces New Africa Organizational Structure to Boost Growth and Efficiency

Hapag-Lloyd Announces New Africa Organizational Structure to Boost Growth and Efficiency

(IN BRIEF) Hapag-Lloyd has restructured its operations in Africa to enhance its presence in line with Strategy 2030. The company has divided its previous two Areas into four, creating new divisions for West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, and East Africa. The restructuring aims to empower local leadership and improve responsiveness to market needs. A new Sub-Region Africa has been created in Dubai to oversee the Areas, further reinforcing Hapag-Lloyd’s commitment to Africa’s growth and its strategic importance in global trade.

(PRESS RELEASE) HAMBURG, 30-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Hapag-Lloyd has announced a strategic restructuring of its operations across Africa to align with its ambitious Strategy 2030 and solidify the continent as a key growth market. The restructuring will see the company transition from two to four distinct Areas, enhancing its presence and operational agility in Africa. The new setup will be supported by the existing Quality Service Center (QSC) in Mauritius.

As part of this transformation, the company has divided the former Area West Africa into two distinct Areas:

• Area West Africa (WAF): Covering countries from Mauritania to Benin, with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana. This Area will be led by Thomas Elling, who succeeds Vishal Bundhun as Area Managing Director.
• Area Central Africa (CAF): Spanning countries from Nigeria to Angola, with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi will take over as Area Managing Director, succeeding Vishal Bundhun.

Furthermore, the former Area South Africa will also be split into two separate Areas:

• Area South Africa (SAF): Including countries from Namibia to Mozambique, with its headquarters in Durban, South Africa. Rogelio Busto will continue to lead as Area Managing Director.
• Area East Africa (EAF): Encompassing countries from Tanzania to Sudan, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Rogelio Busto will serve as Interim Area Managing Director until a permanent appointment is made.

To further streamline operations and enhance strategic oversight, a new Sub-Region Africa has been established in Dubai, UAE. This new structure will ensure close coordination and allow for faster decision-making. All Areas, as well as the Quality Service Center (QSC) in Port Louis, Mauritius, under Senior Director Ramcy Castelino, will report directly to Jesper Kanstrup, the new Sub-Regional Managing Director for Africa. Sub-Region Africa will remain part of the Middle East Region, which also includes the Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent, and Africa.

Lars Sorensen, Senior Managing Director of Region Middle East, stated, “This transformation is focused on delivering a customer-first approach. The new structure will enable us to be more agile and responsive to local market needs, while reinforcing our commitment to Africa as a critical growth region. This shift will empower local leadership, harness local expertise, and enhance our regional support.”

Hapag-Lloyd’s new organizational setup highlights the growing importance of Africa in global trade and positions the company to deliver sustained value to customers across the continent, ensuring long-term success in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.

About Hapag-Lloyd
With a fleet of 308 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.4 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the Company has around 14,000 employees and around 400 offices in about 140 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.7 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 135 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 21 terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. Around 3,000 employees are assigned to the Terminal & Infrastructure segment and provide complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to the terminal activities.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions, estimates, projections or plans that are inherently subject to significant risks, uncertainties and contingencies. Actual results can differ materially from those anticipated in the Company’s forward-looking statements.

Media Contacts:

Nils.Haupt
Nils.Haupt@hlag.com
+49 40 3001 – 2263

SOURCE: Hapag-Lloyd