New Safmarine CEO David Williams is all about people. In an industry like shipping, he says, where there is little differentiation in product, people really do make the difference. He believes in a personal and committed approach not only to his customers but also staff. “I’m not big on hierarchy,” he says, “and to the greatest extent possible, have an open door approach. A valuable learning from my boss in Germany was that you can’t run a company from behind your desk – so being in the frontline with customers and colleagues is critical to understanding the business and taking the right decisions.” And it’s at the frontline where Williams is most comfortable. Only 45 days after being appointed he has worked his way around the globe, meeting staff and customers. He is under no illusion about his new role and the challenges ahead. Container shipping lines are under pressure. Issues around overcapacity and everdecreasing rates in an environment of rising costs remain real concerns. Safmarine itself has been through a challenging few years – restructuring, re-organising, re-grouping in its efforts to create a more agile setup, building an organisation for the future. It’s not an arena for lightweights. “I like to fully understand the challenge with input from as broad a range of relevant stakeholders as possible – preferably backed by facts and figures,” he says. “Only then can one put together a clear and measurable plan with unambiguous ownership.” It’s a task he has embraced with vigour. It’s clear he has an intimate understanding and passion for Safmarine and its way forward. His shipping career after all started with the shipping line nearly 30 years ago after completing two years’ national service in the navy. His first job in the organisation, he recalls, was as a booking clerk in Port Elizabeth in 1986. Less than two years later he moved to Safmarine headquarters in Cape Town on a secondment before heading back to the Eastern Cape as the export sales representative. “I resigned in 1990 and went to work informally in London before backpacking through Europe,” he says. “I rejoined Safmarine as an import sales representative in Johannesburg in July 1991. After a brief period as a sales manager, I moved to Safmarine headquarters in Cape Town as the Europe trade commercial manager.” By 1997 he was living in Hamburg tasked with setting up the southbound commercial department for the SAFDAL joint venture. In 2000 he joined Maersk Line as the export trade manager working his way to the top of the ranks, finally becoming the head of the East and Central China cluster in Shanghai. Returning to Safmarine as CEO takes him full circle. His vision is to ensure that Safmariners make a difference in customers’ lives. And it’s a strategy that has worked for the shipping line in the past, says Williams. INSERT & CAPTION Issues around overcapacity and everdecreasing rates in an environment of rising costs remain real concerns. – David Williams
