CMA CGM’s terminals lead has been appointed to take over the French shipowners’ association, Armateurs de France.
Laurent Martens has been with the container shipping giant for a decade in various roles and manages a portfolio of 50 terminals worldwide.
He also worked for several French ports, including Marseille/Fos and La Rochelle, and oversaw the setting up of the port of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, where he spent six years.
Martens takes over as delegate general from Jean-Philippe Casanova at the beginning of May.
He has an engineering background and worked in government ministries before joining the ports sector in the early 2000s.
Armateurs de France has more than 50 full and associate members and its president is Louis Dreyfus Armateurs boss Edouard Louis-Dreyfus.
Martens is a Knight of the Legion of Honor, one of France’s highest awards.
