Photo: Port Authority of Antwerp-Bruges
The port of Antwerp-Bruges has appointed Rob Smeets (above) as its new chief executive, for a six-year term, succeeding Jacques Vandermeiren, who announced on 14 April that he would be stepping down.
Mr Smeets had been acting as interim CEO since Mr Vandermeiren’s announcement.
The appointment follows “a selection process carried out over recent weeks, during which a wide range of candidates were assessed by a selection committee of members of the board – Rob Smeets emerged as the strongest candidate”, the port authority said.
He is no stranger to the port, having worked there for more than 20 years in a variety of several senior roles. In 2014, he was appointed to lead the towage department; in 2017 he became nautical operations director; and since 2019 he has been chief operations officer.
“We ran a swift but thorough selection process, with a selection committee, in-depth interviews and a strong pool of candidates,” Dirk De fauw, vice-chair of the port authority board said. “Based on his experience, knowledge of the port and leadership qualities, Rob came out of that process as the strongest candidate.”
“He is a familiar face, both within and beyond the organisation, knows our stakeholders well and is able to reconcile different interests,” Johan Klaps, port authority chairman said.
“Rob knows the port authority and the port like no one else,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Smeets said: “I am grateful to the board of directors for their trust. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is strongly positioned internationally and has outstanding employees, customers and partners.
Together, we want to continue building a port that keeps increasing its impact, is ready for tomorrow’s challenges, and further strengthens its position as a leading global port. I am looking forward to it,” he said.