The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has elected Boudewijn Siemons, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Rotterdam, to its board as regional vice-president for Europe.
Siemons became CEO of Europe’s largest port in 2024, having previously served as the port authority’s interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer.
Before joining the Port of Rotterdam in 2020, he spent time at Royal Vopak as President of the North and Latin America division, having also sat on the company’s management team across Europe, the Middle East and the US. Earlier still, he held various management positions at Royal VolkerWessels.
Siemons began his career in 1987 in the Netherlands Royal Navy, where he served until 1998, and studied at the Netherlands Royal Naval Institute and Technical University Delft.
Jens Meier, President of IAPH and CEO of Hamburg Port Authority, said: “We congratulate and welcome Boudewijn to the IAPH board. The Port of Rotterdam has been a steadfast supporter of IAPH’s vision of being the global ports’ forum for industry collaboration and excellence, playing key roles in the IAPH Environmental Ship Index, clean marine fuels, port readiness level and onshore power working groups, as well as in the association’s work on port call optimisation, supply chain resilience, safety and security.”
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Siemons stated: “I’m honoured to be elected and look forward to contributing to the important work of the IAPH. It’s my ambition to intensify the collaboration between ports, delivering tangible progress on decarbonisation, digital interoperability and supply chain resilience. As ports, we can strengthen our community that is unified in purpose, diverse in voice, and bold in action.”
His mandate takes effect immediately, with the current term running until the 2027 Annual General Meeting, which coincides with next year’s World Ports Conference.
The regional vice-president role for Europe was previously held by Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, who left the port authority in April this year.
For more information:
Port of Rotterdam – https://www.portofrotterdam.com/
