The International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) has announced the appointment of Nico De Cauwer as its new Secretary General.
Nico will formally take over as Secretary General on 1 May.
Nico will continue in his current position at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, combining this with his new role at IPCSA, which is for an initial two-year period.
The appointment follows the sad loss of Richard Morton, who passed away in 2022 having served as Secretary General since IPCSA was founded in 2011 as the European Port Community Systems Association.
READ: A tribute to Richard Morton: Farewell to our Richard
Nico has 30 years of experience in the port and maritime sector and has been involved in a wide variety of digitalisation and innovation projects.
Having worked in the digitalisation team of the Port of Antwerp from 1994, in 2011 he joined the Antwerp Port Community System as Senior Business Developer.
Since 2017 Nico has been the IPCSA Executive Committee’s Representative for Europe and North America, and he has also been leading IPCSA’s Standards and Technology domain.
Last year, Nico took over as Chairman of the PROTECT message design group, which develops and supports the electronic reporting required by authorities for vessels entering or leaving a port or port area.
PROTECT was integrated into IPCSA in 2021.
Nico is a participating Expert Member of the UN/CEFACT Transport and Logistics Domain, IPCSA delegate in the IMO Expert Group on Data Harmonisation (EGDH) and a member of the Data Collaboration Committee at the International Association of Ports and Harbors.
READ: IPCSA salutes departing PROTECT Group chairman
“I am very pleased and delighted to take on the role of Secretary General of IPCSA,” Nico said.
“A major challenge for IPCSA will be strengthening our international relationships and ensuring effective collaboration with other organisations.
“IPCSA has always focused on the sharing of experience and expertise, with a strongly collaborative approach. We want to champion the development of practical, concrete collaboration projects with others in the industry.”
READ: Barbados Port joins IPCSA
Nico also spoke on introducing new innovations and initiatives designed to streamline and simplify the exchange of information required for the swift and seamless flow of international cargo.
“Having built that strong reputation and presence in the industry, we now need to take a step further in setting up mutual projects to deliver even more benefits for our members, across global supply chains,” he concluded.
The appointment comes a year after IPCSA and the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) signed an agreement to deliver more clarity across the supply chain.
