After winding down his tenure at Odfjell in Norway to return to his native Denmark, Kristian Morch has emerged as the new head at J Lauritzen.

The Copenhagen-backed outfit announced on Tuesday that Morch will join as chief executive on 1 August.

“J Lauritzen is today in a strong position, and the entire board of Lauritzen Fonden is convinced that with Kristian as CEO and Tommy [Thomsen] as chairman [of J Lauritzen], we have the right team to lead the positive development task that now awaits,” Lauritzen Fonden chairman Jens Ditlev Lauritzen said.

Lauritzen Fonden is the foundation that owns J Lauritzen.

In turn, J Lauritzen owns Lauritzen Bulkers outright, has minority stakes in BW Epic Kosan, Hafnia and Gram Car Carriers and has multiple investments in shipping funds.

In announcing Morch’s appointment, the company said it is a “healthy and strong platform” ready to operate as a holding and investment company, tasked with managing all of Lauritzen Fonden’s maritime investments.

Morch takes over after the company’s two-year transition from a focus on long-term risks to short-term trading in an effort to provide more stable returns.

He last led Oslo-listed Odfjell for seven years before announcing his departure in March.

Then, he told TradeWinds it was part of a relocation of his family back to Copenhagen.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I won’t be working for a competitor, that’s for sure,” he said.

Morch was replaced at Odfjell by chief operating officer Harald Fotland.