General managers or executives in ports, container terminals or multinational maritime logistics companies, these experienced professionals are sailing against the tide of limiting stereotypes, proving, through the quality of their work, that logistics is also a woman’s business. Portraits of 50 women experts who excel in a sector historically dominated by men.
NB: The personalities on this list have been placed randomly and the ranking is not synonymous with the importance of one personality over another.
Since September 2020, Sandrine Wamy is the Operations Director of Congo Terminal, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Transport & Logistics group. The company was created in 2009, after signing a public-private partnership with the Congolese government, for the concession of the container terminal of the autonomous port of Pointe-Noire (Congo-Brazzaville), for a period of 27 years. Prior to that, from September 2014 to August 2020, Sandrine Wamy was, for 6 years, regional director of information systems at Bolloré for the Gulf of Guinea region, based in Douala.
Sandrine Wamy joined the Bolloré Group in 2006, where she quickly climbed the ranks. A graduate of the École supérieure d’ingénieurs en électrotechnique et électronique (ESIEE) in Paris, she worked for three years as an engineer at Sogeti-Transiciel, a digital services company and subsidiary of Capgemini, a global consulting, technology services and digital transformation company.
Since 2018, Asta Rosa Cissé has been the general manager of Abidjan Terminal, the container terminal in the port concession of the autonomous port of Abidjan for the handling of containerised goods, a former subsidiary of the Bolloré Group. Before being appointed general manager, she was the deputy general manager, since April 2016, a first for a woman within the subsidiaries of the Bolloré Group in Côte d’Ivoire.
An Ivorian national, Asta Rosa Cissé holds a degree in accounting and finance from the Ecole Supérieure de Gestion (ESG)/Paris. She also holds a diploma of higher studies in accounting and finance (DESCF), obtained at the National Institute of Economic and Accounting Techniques (INTEC) in Paris. She also holds an Executive PMD from the Institut d’études supérieures de commerce (IESE) Business School Barcelona/MDE Business School. She joined the Bolloré Group in 2002, after having worked from 1998 to 2002 as CFO of Syngenta, a Swiss chemical and agrochemical company formed by the merger in November 2000 of the agrochemical divisions of AstraZeneca and Novartis.
Thanks to her skills in financial and accounting analysis, her experience in budget management and the improvement of the working capital requirement (WCR), Asta Rosa Cissé has strongly contributed to the improvement of Bolloré’s accounting and financial procedures. In 2007, she was appointed Administrative and Financial Director in the subsidiary Abidjan Terminal, flagship of the Bolloré Group. In 2011, she was appointed Secretary General of Abidjan Terminal, in charge of administration and external relations. In April 2016, she was appointed deputy general manager,
In 2019, Asta Rosa Cissé was made a Knight of the Order of Maritime Merit by the Ivorian government.
Appointed in 2019, Sandra Opoku is the first female Director General of the Port of Tema in Ghana, the largest commercial port in Ghana.
Prior to her appointment, she was the Director General of Legal Affairs of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Ghana’s national port authority, since 2003. Prior to her appointment as General Counsel of the GPHA, Sandra Opoku’s previous roles included General Counsel of the GPHA in charge of administration, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
Sandra Opoku graduated from the University of Ghana with a degree in Law and later joined the Ghana School of Law, and was called to the Bar in October 2001. In 2004, she was admitted to the International Institute of Maritime Law in Malta and obtained a Masters degree in International Maritime Law.
Since July 2014, Martine Coffi-Studer is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Bolloré Africa Logistics Côte d’Ivoire. Founder of the communications agency Océan Ogilvy, which operates in some twenty countries in Africa, Martine Coffi-Studer was also Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, responsible for communications.
Martine Coffi-Studer holds a DEA in economics and a Master’s degree in economics. She is also the president of the Côte d’Ivoire Business Coalition (CECI), the Ivorian employers’ association.
As of 1 October 2021, Nompumelelo Dweba-Kwetana is the Managing Director of the Port of Durban, the largest and busiest marine terminal in sub-Saharan Africa. It comprises 58 berths managed by more than 22 port operators and has the fourth largest container facility in the southern hemisphere. Approximately 32 million tonnes of cargo and 4.5 million TEUs are handled in the port each year. 60% of the total number of containers handled at all South African ports pass through the Port of Durban. The port handles more than 5,000 ships annually.
The port is owned by Transnet National Ports Authority, a South African government corporation, and a subsidiary of the South African Transnet Group, which is responsible for the management and governance of eight of South Africa’s major seaports.
Prior to heading the port of Durban, Nompumelelo Dweba-Kwetana was the chief executive officer of the port of Cape Town. She has over 20 years of experience in maritime, port and logistics operations. Prior to managing the Port of Cape Town, she was for 8 years the Managing Director of the Port of Ngqura, a deep water port on the East Coast of South Africa.
Prior to joining Transnet, Nompumelelo Dweba-Kwetana held various senior positions in the Maritime Industry Development and Promotion sector of the South African Department of Transport.
Since August 2020, Betina Gbadago, 34, is the Managing Director of Portside Togo, a subsidiary of the multinational Portside, an international group of companies based in the Netherlands and operating as a shipping agency specialising in West Africa. After completing her internship at the port of Lomé in 2006, Betina Gbadago left Togo to study abroad. She obtained an MBA, specialising in marketing, from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Prior to being appointed General Manager of Portside Togo, Betina Gbadago worked for Portside Ghana as Sales Manager from 2017 to 2020. At the same time, from April 2019 to August 2020, she was Sales Executive of NewPort Tank Containers, a leading Dutch tank container group with significant operations in all major trade lanes worldwide.
Prior to joining the maritime logistics sector, Betina Gbadago first worked in the insurance, retail, recruitment/talent management and food sectors.
Loubna Ghaleb is a member of the Tanger MED board of directors, in charge of the group’s strategy and strategy director of Tanger MED, a Moroccan industrial port complex, located on the Strait of Gibraltar, in the city of Tanger in Morocco, with a handling capacity of up to 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 700,000 TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) lorries and the export of 1 million vehicles.
Loubna Ghaleb holds a double degree in civil engineering from the Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics in France. She began her career in 2003 in the public sector as a road planning manager at the Moroccan Directorate of Roads and Traffic. In 2005, she joined the Tanger Med Group, where she held several positions, including Concession and Partnership Manager and Strategy and Development Director. In November 2020, she was appointed member of the Tanger Med Group’s Management Board. In 2010 and in parallel to her work, she joined the MBA of the Ecole Ponts et Chaussées and graduated in 2011.
Since June 2018, Dani Abla Akakpo is the General Manager of Togolaise d’affrètements et d’agence de Lignes (TAAL-SA), a company incorporated under Togolese law with a share capital of 100 million CFA Francs and held in majority by private Togolese. Created on April 16, 1992, TAAL-SA’s activities in Togo include: chartering, consignment, groupage (FCC/LCL), maritime and land transit, land transport to hinterland countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), and warehousing in bonded warehouses. Since February 2021, Dani Akakpo is also the president of the association of professionals of shipping companies and consignment of ships in Togo (NAVITOGO), the first woman to hold this position.
Dani Abla Akakpo holds a Master’s degree in international trade from the University of Dunkerque (France) and a Master’s degree in finance from EM-LYON in France. She started her career in June 2005 at AP Moeller Maersk as a sales assistant, a position she held until July 2011.
In November 2012, she was appointed Field Sales Manager for the Middle East, Africa, South America and Reefer business at AP Moeller Maersk. In this position she had overall responsibility for sales and customer management and was responsible for the execution of the business strategy for Europe, Middle East and South America. She held this position until May 2018, before being appointed Managing Director of TAAL-SA, in June 2018.
Since September 2020, Neusa Marcelino is the General Manager for Southern Africa of the French multinational CMA-CGM, one of the world’s leading container shipping companies and the largest French group in the sector, with a turnover of more than 20 billion dollars. Prior to this, she was CMA-CGM’s managing director for Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Before CMA-CGM, she also worked for other big names in global shipping such as Maersk and Safmarine. At the age of 33, she became the first African woman to lead a group of ships for CMA CGM.
Neusa Marcelino holds a degree in economics from the Escola Superior de Economia e Gestao, Mozambique and a diploma in leadership from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. When she entered university, she wanted to work in community development or economic development NGOs in Mozambique. But towards the end of her studies, she was approached by the Danish company Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, which was looking for candidates for their two-year Graduate Program. This was not necessarily an area that attracted Neusa Marcelino, but she agreed to join the programme to train.
After 9 years with Maersk and Safmarine, Neusia Marcelino was recruited by CMA-CGM.
Nadia Laraki is the Director of the National Ports Agency of Morocco (ANP), since 1st August 2010. In this post, she oversees the Moroccan port strategy for 2030, which aims to increase the capacity of the country’s ports. The new terminals being built will contribute to the development of key industries such as the phosphate sector. The construction and rehabilitation of the cruise terminals will also help support Morocco’s tourism sector.
Prior to her appointment as Director of the ANP, Nadia Laraki was Director of the Merchant Navy, appointed in 2006. She was responsible for ensuring that all ships met high safety standards. Before joining the PNA, she worked in various ministries from 1984. She was director of personnel affairs and training at the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Transport. Nadia Larki has also held positions of responsibility in the port management of the cities of Casablanca and Mohammedia.
Nadia Laraki holds, among others, an engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris and a DESS in management and business administration from the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises de Paris (Sorbonne Business School).
Nadia Laraki is the first woman to be elected by her peers as President of the Moroccan Association of Civil Engineers.
Lara Lana took up her position as Country Manager of Maersk Nigeria on 1 June 2020, the first woman to hold this position. She is the first woman to hold this position. She holds this position simultaneously with that of West and Central Africa Director (Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Niger) at Safmarine, the group’s carrier specialising in Africa and East Asia. She has held this position since 2013.
Lara Lana has been with A.P. Moller-Maersk since 2002, where she has held various positions in West Africa and the UK for Maersk, Maersk Logistics/Damco and Safmarine.
Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Kenyan Rachel Muthoni is, since June 2022, the Head of Maritime Procurement from West and Central Asia to Africa at A.P. Moller – Maersk, a company where she has worked since 2016. In her current position, she leads and develops the team responsible for the execution of maritime orders. During her 6 years at Maersk, Rachel Muthoni has held 4 positions in three countries. Prior to her current role, she was responsible for the implementation of the East Africa region. She joined Maersk as Finance Business Partner for East Africa, responsible for generating additional business by overseeing new customer implementations, bridging product, customer service, finance, sales and operational (Execution) functions and driving performance management.
Rachel Muthoni holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, a private business school based in Washington, D.C.; a Professional Diploma in Marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Diploma in Business, Finance and Marketing from Strathmore University, Nairobi.
Since September 2022, Carolyn Kathewera has been CMA-CGM’s Managing Director for Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Prior to this, she was the Country and Sales Representative in Mozambique for Safmarine for two years. South African Marine Corporation, and later South African Marine Container Lines, was a South African shipping company that is now part of the Danish Maersk Group.
A graduate in Humanities from the University of Malawi, Carolyn Kathewera also holds a postgraduate diploma in Organisational Leadership from the Stellenbosch University Business School in South Africa.
Nomita Devi Seebaluck is a port professional with over 18 years of experience at the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA), where she held the position of Assistant Commercial Director for 7 years, before becoming Director of Port Operations, a position she has held since 2011. Prior to that, she worked in marketing.
From 2011 to 2016, Nomita Devi Seebaluck was the President of the Mauritian branch of the Women Maritime Executives Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA).
Marie-Louise Ndoye is the founder of WIN Logistics, a cargo and freight company based in Dakar, Senegal, which she launched in 2018. She created her company after working for more than 25 years in the largest multinationals in the transport logistics sector in the Ivory Coast, Cameroon and then in Senegal. WIN Logistics is a freight forwarder with a network of African companies located in Europe, the United States, Asia, the Middle East and on the African continent.
Marie-Louise Ndoye holds a general university degree (DEUG) in literature and languages (English / Spanish) from the University of Reims, in Champagne Ardennes (France). She also obtained a higher technician diploma (BTS) in international trade in Côte d’Ivoire.
Since April 2020, Cameroonian Kathy Magne Essimi has been the Managing Director of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. in Cameroon, a global port management company based in Manila, Philippines. She is an excellent leader who has created the Cameroonian subsidiary from scratch, developed procedures, established internal control and built successful public relations. One of her main functions was to lead the team responsible for the implementation of all systems. Kathy Magne Essimi identified and mitigated risks by chairing risk management and developing a programme focusing on social responsibility. She organised and regulated cash flow, secured foreign transactions and led reporting.
In addition, Kathy Magne Essimi designed and implemented business strategies and attracted new cargo and negotiated new tariffs with the port authorities. In addition, she managed the company’s operations by recruiting high-performing teams for each department and constantly evaluating performance to achieve operational excellence and complete projects on time and within budget.
Prior to this, Kathy Magne Essimi was the financial director of APM Terminals in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Mali. She was also deputy financial director of Abidjan Terminal from 2010 to 2012.
Kathy Magne Essimi is a graduate of the Catholic University of Central Africa.
After having been general manager of Conakry terminal, Tahirou Barry joined Bolloré’s headquarters in Puteaux (France) in 2020, as financial director of Bolloré Ports. She had joined the Bolloré Transports and Logistics group in Guinea in 2013 as financial controller, before becoming financial director, then general manager of Conakry Terminal.
Tahirou Barry holds a degree in auditing and management control from the University of Paris Dauphine. Before joining the Bolloré Group, she worked for EY and Shell in Guinea, in the fields of finance and project management.
Olufunmilayo Olotu is the Director of the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, the largest and busiest port complex in Nigeria and one of the largest container terminals in West Africa. Over 40% of Nigeria’s maritime trade passes through the port, which also serves the inland countries of Chad and Niger. Approximately 5,800,000 tonnes of cargo and over 3,000 ships visit the port each year.
Olufunmilayo Olotu was appointed Director of Ports at the Lagos Port Complex in 2019, after spending three years at the helm of the Port of Calabar, Nigeria.
Olufunmilayo Olotu graduated from Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanji University), Ago-Iwoye in 1986. She also holds an Executive Diploma in Marketing and an M.Ed in G & C from the University of Lagos. She joined the services of the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1988 and, it is explained, has always distinguished herself as a bright, bold and outspoken woman of integrity and initiator of positive ideas and changes in all units and departments where she has been deployed. She was the personal assistant to the Executive Director of the Navy and Operations. In 2002, she received the Tin-Can Island Harbour Officer’s Award for recovering 27 million naira accumulated by various officers over the years.
Sanae El Amrani is the Director of the Directorate of Ports and Maritime Public Domain, within the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water of Morocco.
She is a State Engineer, graduated from the Hassania School of Public Works in Casablanca, and has more than 20 years of professional experience in the port and coastal sector. She is an expert in port and maritime safety and security, protection and enhancement of coastal areas, planning and financing of port projects.
Sanae El Amrani has participated in several important projects at the Moroccan level in the port and maritime fields, such as the elaboration of the national port strategy for 2030, the diagnosis of the public maritime domain and the Atlas of marine and coastal potentials in Morocco.
Akuélé Yevona Adanlete-Lawson has been working at the Autonomous Port of Lomé for over 25 years, where she has held several positions. She started her career in 1992 as a commercial assistant. She has risen through the ranks and, since 2019, she is the commercial director of the Autonomous Port of Lomé, the only deep-water port on the West African coast that can accommodate deep-draft vessels and the only port on the West African coast through which several capitals can be reached in a single day. In this position of Commercial Director, Akuélé Yevona-Adanlete-Lawson is responsible for defining and deploying the commercial strategy of the Autonomous Port of Lomé; defining the objectives and the functional budget, under the supervision of the General Management; managing the commercial and marketing teams; managing the major clients of the Port of Lomé; as well as negotiating and developing business (new markets).
Akuélé Yevona-Adanlete-Lawson is the president of the women’s association of the autonomous port of Lomé and vice-president of the network of women maritime and port professionals of West and Central Africa. She is also the president of the professional organisation “African Women In Maritime Organization”. (WIMA Africa), for the period 2022-2024.
Michelle St André Gnagbo was the first woman to manage operations at one of the depots of APM Terminals (a subsidiary of Maersk) in Côte d’Ivoire. She has contributed to the growth of the company, notably by setting up the purchasing department and optimising procedures for the use of handling equipment to reduce costs.
Since October 2020, she has been a Domestic Operations Specialist at APM Terminals, where she is responsible for depot project management, supplier management and contract analysis. She is also responsible for defining performance indicators for better supplier monitoring and cost reduction.
Prior to her current position, Michelle St André Gnagbo was, for 9 years, supervisor of the domestic operations of APM Terminals in Abidjan. In this position, she was responsible for organising logistics operations in accordance with APM Terminals’ safety standards and customer obligations, supervising daily safety meetings and writing and submitting procedures for the various activities in the container depot. Prior to this, she held the positions of depot operations coordinator and purchasing manager.
Michelle St André Gnagbo holds a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in logistics from HEC Abidjan.
Since January 2023, Pascaline Berwa Ndayambaje has been responsible for the business development of the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA), a vertically integrated industrial zone focused on creating thriving value chains for storage, processing, manufacturing and export. PIA is the result of a public-private partnership between the Togolese Republic and Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (IIP).
Pascaline Berwa Ndayambaje holds a master’s degree in port management and an executive MBA in leadership and strategic change management. She first worked for 8 years in the container handling sector, at Lomé Container Terminal, as a ship operations planner, then as a ship berthing planner, and at Bolloré Transport & Logistics in Togo as head of the planning department of Togo Terminal.
In January 2022, Pascaline Berwa Ndayambaje was appointed Commercial Director of CAT LOGISTICS S.A in Togo and Benin. In this position, she assisted companies in the design and implementation of their logistics projects, identified their logistics problems and proposed tailor-made solutions.
Since July 2022, Elizabeth Ndaire has been Global Head of Talent and Development at APM Terminals, having previously been Head of Human Resources, Africa and Middle East and Global Talent Leader from January 2020 to July 2022. She is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Since September 2022, Judith Maffo, 27 years old, has been working for A.P. Moller – Maersk in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso as Maintenance and Repair Supervisor for West and Central Africa. Prior to that, she worked for CMA CGM as Equipment and Logistics Manager, having previously held the position of Logistics Operations Assistant.
Judith Maffo holds a Master’s degree in Logistics, Materials and Supply Chain Management from Agitel Formation and a Professional Degree in Logistics Operations Management, Logistics, Materials and Supply Chain Management from the same institution. She also holds a technical diploma in maritime transport and logistics, multimodal transport, from the regional academy of maritime sciences and techniques.
Since September 2020, Nancy Mbalayi Tshishiku Kalala is the CFO of A.P. Moller – Maersk for the West African region (Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, Chad, CAR, Equatorial Guinea, Congo and DRC). She is based in Douala, Cameroon. Prior to this position, she was Maersk’s Accounting Manager for the DRC and the Republic of Congo, after having served for two months as Acting Director of Maersk DRC.
Nancy Mbalayi Tshishiku Kalala joined Maersk DRC in 2005 and has held several positions in finance. She has a degree in finance, banking and insurance from the Protestant University of Congo.
Since October 1, 2020, Folashade Akanni-Shelle is the Managing Director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Nigeria, a major transport and logistics operator employing more than 600 direct and indirect employees. Based in Lagos, the company has several branches including Badagry, Agbara and Abuja and 26 warehouses across Nigeria.
Previously, from October 2017 to September 2021, Folashade Akanni-Shelle was Managing Director of Bolloré Logistics in Tanzania.
Folashade Akanni-Shelle has 20 years of experience with Bolloré Transport & Logistics. She joined the company in 2003 as commercial manager for OT Africa Line at Cross Marine Services in Lagos, before being appointed, in turn, head of maritime imports at Bolloré Africa Logistics Nigeria (ex-SDV Nigeria), head of logistics services in Ghana, director of logistics solutions in Uganda and then general manager in Tanzania.
Folashade Akanni-Shelle holds an MBA from Cranfield University, England and a degree in Maritime Law from Southampton University, England.
Nanette Ackah Kaba is currently Sales Manager – Contract Logistics at Bolloré Transport & Logistics Côte d’Ivoire, where she has worked for 18 years. In this position, she is in charge of marketing Bolloré Logistics’ warehousing and distribution solutions.
Previously, she was responsible for customer service in the maritime export department of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Côte d’Ivoire.
Nanette Ackah Kaba holds a master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management from the Institut Supérieur de Mécanique de Paris. She also holds a degree in Business Administration and Management General from the University of Caen.
Since January 2023, Fatou Diène has been Deputy Commercial Director at Bolloré Transport & Logistics in Senegal, where she has worked for the past 6 years. She has held various positions as sales manager and vertical market manager.
Fatou Diène holds a master’s degree in purchasing logistics and international trade from Toulouse Business School. She also holds a master’s degree in industrial economics and business management from the University of Toulouse Capitole.
Since August 2018, Golda Atohoun-Dagba is the General Manager of A.P. Moller – Maersk in Benin and Niger. Prior to that, she was regional sales manager, based in Côte d’Ivoire.
Prior to joining A.P. Moller – Maersk, Golda Atohoun-Dagba was Director in Ghana of Safmarine (South African Marine Corporation), a former South African shipping company, now a subsidiary of Maersk. Prior to that, she was director of Safmarine Benin-Niger.
Fatoumata Barry is the Managing Director of A.P. Moller – Maersk in Liberia and Sierra Leone, a position she has held since November 2022. Prior to that, she held the same position only for Liberia, starting in October 2020, when she joined Maersk.
Long before that, Fatoumata Barry was Country Manager in Guinea (Conakry) for Safmarine, a former South African shipping company, now a subsidiary of Maersk.
Fatoumata Barry holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing and International Business from HEC Montreal. She also completed a business leadership programme at Stellenbosch University.
Janeth Matana has been the Executive Administrator of the Port of Lobito since May 2020. The Port of Lobito is the second largest port in Angola, after Luanda. It is the fastest export route for copper, cobalt and other minerals mined in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond.
Prior to her current position, Janeth Matana worked for several years for Unicargas, a freight forwarding company, terminal operator and forwarding agent, the leader in Angola in the transport and handling of various loads, with thirty years of experience. Unicargas has become one of the main companies in the sector and one of the most important elements of the country’s economic dynamism. Janeth Matana was the director of the Internal Audit Office, after having been the head of the company’s internal audit department.
Janeth Matana holds a postgraduate degree in Finance from the Lisbon School of Economics and Management and a degree in Accounting and Administration from the Agostinho Neto University in Angola.
After 5 years as General Manager of A.P. Moller – Maersk in Mauritius, Khadeeja Oozeerally-Luckhun is, since May 2022, Head of Offshore Fulfilment – South Africa and Islands for the same group, based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has been with Maersk for over 18 years, and has held several positions in Mauritius and Malaysia, where she was responsible for the export customer service team at the Port of Klang, as well as monitoring the Penang and Tanjung Pelepas port operations.
Khadeeja Oozeerally-Luckhun holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Saint John’s University in York, England. She also completed a Leadership and Development in Africa programme at Stellenbosch University Business School, South Africa.
After having been Country Manager for A.P. Moller – Maersk (August 2016-August 2022) and Country Manager of APM Terminals Uganda Limited (October 2010-July 2016), Julie Ejotu is, since July 2022, Head of Customer Experience – East Africa for A.P. Moller – Maersk, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Julie Ejotu holds a Master’s degree in Economic Policy and Planning from Makerere University, Uganda’s largest and oldest university.
Since July 2020, Bintou Konaré is the Human Resources (HR) Director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics in Côte d’Ivoire. Prior to that, she was, from September 2015 to June 2020, HR Recruitment and Development Director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics, based at the group’s headquarters in Puteaux, France. In this position, she was in charge of the operational management of the recruitment, school relations and HR development divisions. Before that, from May 2014 to September 2015, Bintou Konaré was in charge of recruitment and human resources development at Bolloré’s headquarters in Puteaux. In this role, she was responsible for all aspects of recruitment: budget management, development of job profiles, individual and group interviews. She was also responsible for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), which consists of outsourcing all or part of a company’s recruitment processes, as well as advising operational staff on decision-making and salary negotiations.
Bintou Konaré holds an Executive Master’s degree in Strategic Human Resources Management from HEC Paris, as well as a post-graduate diploma in Comparative Dynamics of Developing Societies from the University Denis Diderot (Paris VII).
Since July 2016, Bineta Sy is the General Manager in Senegal and Mali of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), a Swiss-Italian container and cruise ship owner.
She holds a degree in International Business, Trade and Tax Law from the University of Quebec in Outaouais, where she also obtained a degree in Business Administration. Back in Senegal, Bineta SY joined the small family office automation company and also gained experience in insurance brokerage. Not very comfortable with having her father as a boss and with a feeling of not being valued properly, Bineta Sy left the family business and became an intern in the commercial department of SDV Senegal. These first steps in the maritime sector led her to her current position with the MSC Group.
Bineta Sy is the first and current Executive Director of MSC since the opening of its commercial representation with SDV in Dakar in 1996. She is one of the pioneer women with a level of responsibility in Africa within the MSC Group.
Candida de Fatima Martins Pinto has worked for more than 28 years at Unicargas, a freight forwarding company, terminal operator and forwarding agent, leader in Angola in the transport and handling of various loads. She started as executive secretary in 1994. Since then, she has held several positions. Since June 2020, she has been Director of Logistics, after having been Director of the Restructuring Office.
Candida de Fatima Martins Pinto holds a degree in Human Resources Management from the Lusiada University of Angola.
Since June 2022, Ruth Tabbu has been Chief Transformation Officer and Customer outcomes for A.P. Moller – Maersk in Africa. She has been with Maersk since 2005 and has held several positions. As CTO, Ruth Tabbu reports to the Managing Director of Maersk Africa and is responsible for ensuring that the customer experience strategy is implemented in the Africa region and for fostering collaboration across functions to put the customer at the centre of regional business decisions.
In addition to her current full-time position, Ruth Tabbu is also the part-time Co-Facilitator for the Africa region of the “Strategies for Success” programme that Maersk runs for women leaders in the group.
Prior to her current role, Ruth Tabbu was Area Head of Customer Experience, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In this role she was responsible for the customer experience organisation in East Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda, South Sudan). Together with her team, she was responsible for supply chain (SCM), documentation and finance and operations (FINOPS). The responsibilities of the position have been expanded to include execution, leading logistics, land transport, customs brokerage, supplier management and client implementation teams.
Ruth Tabbu holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nicosia, Cyprus and a Bachelor of Arts, Design, Graphics from the University of Nairobi. She has also completed a leadership programme for women directors (Corporate Governance) at Strathmore Business School, Nairobi, Kenya
Florence Mbugua is the Commercial Director for A.P. Moller – Maersk in East Africa since March 2022. In this position, she is responsible for the commercial/sales activities covering the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan. She is also responsible for leading and shaping the strategic direction of the sales team – both on ocean and land-based volume delivery, revenue growth and profit optimisation.
Florence Mbugua has received numerous awards during her career. She holds a Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Cranfield University, UK and a Bachelor of Science in Land Economics from the University of Nairobi. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science from Strathmore University (Kenya) and a Certificate in Logistics and Transport from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK).
Since November 2018, Kathy Kabala is the West Africa Area Sales Manager at A.P. Moller – Maersk, while continuing to be, since January 2023, Senior Sales Consultant for Maersk DRC, where she started in 2012 as “Sales Manager”. She is based in Douala, Cameroon.
Kathy Kabala was appointed to her current position after leading a successful sales team for more than 7 years in the DRC, and after being Sales Manager Cameroon , in November 2019. In this position, she aimed to create a unique customer experience where sales people are seen as partners who add value to their customers’ business.
Kathy Kabala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics from the Protestant University in Congo. She is also a graduate of the African Leadership Development Programme designed by the Stellenbosch University Business School (South Africa) for Maersk Line employees.
Since May 2020, Ada Onyeri is responsible for Talent Attraction and Acquisition at A.P. Moller – Maersk in Europe and Africa. Prior to that, for 8 years (2012-2020), she was Cluster Human Resources Manager for Maersk in Nigeria, after having been General Manager – Human Resources for Maersk Ghana.
Prior to joining Maersk Nigeria in 2008, Ada Onyeri started her career with Safmarine Belgium, between 2006 and 2008.
Ada Onyeri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology, Mathematics and Computer Science.
Since December 2022, Monica Temporario has been Deputy General Manager of the Zambezi Cluster at CMA CGM. Prior to this position, she was Head of Trade for the Middle East and Gulf for the same group, based in Dubai, after having been Country Commercial Manager in Mozambique. Monica Temporario has also worked for Safmarine Mozambique, based in Beira, a port city in Mozambique.
She holds an MBA from the Catholic University of Mozambique.
Since December 2021, Tatiana Filipe Joao has been Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of CMA CGM, based in Singapore, for the Asia Pacific region with a workforce of approximately 3,430 employees. Prior to this, she was Regional Human Resources Manager, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at CMA CGM’s regional office in Dubai – Middle East Gulf, Indian Subcontinent, Southern and Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and Horn of Africa. In this region, the group has a workforce of approximately 1620 employees. In this position, Tatiana Filipe Joao was responsible for the management of the entire employee life cycle (onboarding, goal setting, performance evaluation, salary and bonus, staff sizing, succession planning, etc.).
Prior to her expatriation, Tatiana Filipe Joao was Director of Human Resources Administration (Zambezi River Group), from August 2018 to September 2020, comprising Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with a staff of approximately 120 employees.
Tatiana Filipe Joao holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Development from the University of Paris Nanterre and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Ascencia Business School, in Puteaux, France.
Since January 2021, Tabara Diop is the CEO of the Société Africaine des Activités Maritimes, in Guinea. Prior to that, from November 2015 to October 2020, she was Director of Operations of Conakry terminal, a subsidiary of Bolloré Africa Logistics.
Prior to joining Bolloré, Tabara Diop was Country Manager for Maersk in Guinea Bissau from June 2012 to October 2015, after having been Commercial Analyst Far East/Middle East – Senegal Pole for Maersk. She was also Regional Communications Manager – Assistant to the Regional Director Container Inland Services for APM Terminal.
Tabara Diop started her career as a trainee at Maersk Senegal. She holds a global MBA from Dhuram University in England and a Master’s degree in Finance from the Higher Institute of Management.
Rebecca Owusu-Asamoah is Country Manager for Oil and Marine Agencies (Ghana) Limited at OMA Ghana, effective 1 January 2022. The OMA Group opened its first office in Ghana in 2009, offering shipping agency services for vessels calling at the ports of Tema and Takoradi.
Rebecca Owusu-Asamoah has over 14 years of experience in the shipping industry, where she has worked in the areas of customer service, process excellence and project management, as well as operations and administration. She started her career with Maersk Line and then with Damco, a subsidiary of Maersk.
In 2016, Rebecca Owusu-Asamoah joined OMA Ghana and in February 2018 transferred to Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth largest container shipping company, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. In November 2019, she moved to Mauritius, where she was instrumental in the formation and establishment of the West Africa Quality Service Centre team.
Rebecca Owusu-Asamoah also travelled as a trainer to various OMA offices in West and Central Africa during the migration phase from Nile Dutch to Hapag-Lloyd.
Rebecca Owusu-Asamoah holds a Commonwealth Executive MBA, Business Administration and Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
Since October 2020, Nelly Kinuthia is the Director and Head of Sales East Africa at A.P. Moller – Maersk. She has worked alternately for Maersk and Safmarine, a subsidiary of Maersk, and has held various positions in Nairobi and at Maersk’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2011, she was the first person to be appointed Business Performance and Change Manager – East Africa at Safmarine. At the end of 2011, the company recorded growth of 16% and 14% compared to the previous year (2010/2011), in terms of volumes and revenues respectively.
As project manager with Safmarine’s sales team in Nairobi, Nelly Kinuthia and her team successfully improved the export sales process, saving the team 80 hours per week. In addition, as change manager, Nelly Kinuthia successfully integrated the back-office functions of Maersk Line and Safmarine East Africa. She was also responsible for the coordination and training for the deployment of pricing strategies and tools within Maersk Line East Africa. During this year, the company exceeded its revenue and market share targets by 3% and 1.6% respectively.
Nelly Kinuthia was also the driving force behind the launch of a revised inland pricing strategy, which increased inland revenues by USD 1.6 million.
Nelly Kinuthia was nominated for the Maersk TP10 programme, which aims to identify high performing and potential staff within the group.
She holds a degree in International Business Administration (IBA) Finance, Management from the United States International University Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
Grace Mwinamo is one of Africa’s leading international transport and logistics professionals. For over 15 years, she has been facilitating trade through her rich and varied experience in the fields of maritime, road and intermodal logistics. At DHL Supply Chain, she led a supply chain overseeing 15 countries in East and Southern Africa, which was ranked second out of a total of 9 supply chains in the Middle East and Africa region.
At Maersk’s Copenhagen headquarters, Grace Mwinamo was responsible for the growth of West African exports and intra-African trade, which at the time was recognised as having the strongest performance of any African trade, both in terms of volume and turnover.
Since October 2021, Hanane Ourimchi has been Africa Director at Hapag-Lloyd AG, based in Antwerp, Belgium. Prior to that, she was for almost 6 years the Managing Director of Nile Dutch Africa Line, also based in Antwerp, after having been Africa Trade Manager at Maersk.
From April 2012 to May 2015, Hanane Ourichmi was responsible for the Maghreb division at Safmarine. In this position, she was responsible for Safmarine in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; translating strategic orientations into concrete actions at the sales and customer service level; ensuring that local teams have the necessary tools to achieve the set performance indicators.
Hanane Ourichmi joined Maersk in 2005 in Antwerp, where she held several sales positions, including Commodity Sales Manager for Africa. In this position she was responsible for defining and executing a line strategy for commodities such as cotton and wood from Africa to all destinations. She also had to find the right balance between profitability and market share through close cooperation with local agencies worldwide. It was also directly involved in long-term negotiations with major traders in the commodity market.
Hibo Mohamed Abdillahi has worked for DP World, the world’s third largest port operator, owned by the Government of Dubai, for over 13 years. She has held several positions there. She is currently the Director of Personnel for the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan region. She joined DP World’s headquarters in Dubai in 2014 as Regional Head of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Middle East and Africa region. She joined DP World in Djibouti in October 2005 and worked there as Operations Administrator and Human Resources Manager until October 2008. Before returning to DP World, Hibo Mohamed Abdillahi worked as Human Resources and Administration Manager at Doraleh Container Terminal in Djibouti.
Hibo Mohamed Abdillahi holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Paris Nanterre
Since March 2022, Catherine Mutuku is based in Dubai, where she works as Business Development Officer (E-commerce) at DP World, the leading global logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
A certified trade and logistics professional, Catherine Mutuku has a broad understanding of international trade flows and politics. She has over five years of professional experience as a policy analyst and researcher and five years of volunteer and community service. She has worked with the Kenyan government, government organisations and regional bodies such as COMESA, EAC and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Margaret Aidoo Quarcoopome, Principal Business Development Officer at Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
Margaret Aidoo Quarcoopome has held the position of Princiapl Business Development Officer at the Ghana Ports Authority, since July 2019. Prior to this, she was the Senior Business Development Officer at the Port of Tema, Ghana for 8 years.
She holds a Master’s degree in Port Management from the World Maritime University and an MBA from Central University College, Ghana.
