Philip Shapiro, among the highest-profile leaders of US flag shipping, has passed on the leadership of the company he founded 35 years ago by appointing his son, Josh, as the new chief executive.
His daughter, Brooke Shapiro, has been promoted to executive vice president, on top of her existing role as general counsel, in what Liberty Maritime has dubbed “generational change” at the Long Island-based owner and operator of ro-ros and bulkers.
Philip Shapiro has been a steadfast voice for the US-flag shipping industry even as it has shrunk to a fraction of the size it was when Liberty Maritime entered the scene.
“Over the course of his career, Philip has been an outspoken and eloquent advocate for the US-flag shipping industry and many of the programs that support it,” Liberty Maritime said.
“He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to maintaining and expanding US cargo preference programs to ensure the continued existence of an internationally trading US-flag merchant marine fleet.”
Shapiro was also a key player in ending a ban on putting armed guards on US-flagged ships, after one of Liberty’s bulkers was attacked by pirates in Somalia in 2007.
He is a trustee of the Coast Guard Foundation and the Webb Institute, a marine engineering and naval architecture college, and he intends to remain on the board of directors at classification society American Bureau of Shipping and the members’ board at protection and indemnity club NorthStandard.
Shapiro also serves as the vice chairman of the American Maritime Congress, a coalition of US-flag shipping companies and a union.
Philip, 71, remains chairman of Liberty’s board after also handing over his president title to Josh.
The transition, which took place at the end of 2023 but was only just announced, is being couched not as new leadership for the group, given that Josh and Brooke already hold key roles at the company.
“We are going to maintain the course but will continue to search for fleet growth and strategic acquisition opportunities,” Josh told TradeWinds.
In addition to founding Liberty, Philip has grown the group to include multi-modal supply chain business Liberty Global Logistics.
“It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to introduce my children to the maritime business, to bring them both into the company and now to watch them work together to build out the company’s next chapters,” Philip said in a statement.
“When I established Liberty in 1988, I never dreamed that I’d be this fortunate to have both children want to be in the business.”
Philip, who said he plans to spend more time with his wife and his grandchildren — “while their parents focus on Liberty’s growth and future” — said he is “extremely confident” that it is the right time for transition after working alongside them.
Josh, who at 40 is also chief executive of Liberty Green Logistics, has worked at Liberty since 2009, rising to chief operating officer in 2016.
That was after working as an intern at the company, starting at age 17 and throughout his college years, not to mention a childhood that included stepping foot on his first bulker at five years old and accompanying his father on trips to Japan to take delivery of ships.
“Liberty is really a part of my DNA and my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said.
He told TradeWinds that he first realised he wanted to work at Liberty for the long run when he had a job in Congress that involved advising a lawmaker on maritime policy.
“When I told Philip I wanted to come and officially join Liberty for the long run, he said he wouldn’t hire me!” Josh said.
“He wanted me to go out and learn about commercial shipping and the industry at large, which is what led me to the Grammenos programme at City University and then to do work experience in ship brokerage in London.”
Brooke, 38, joined Liberty in 2019 as vice president and general counsel.
Her 13 years of maritime law experience includes spending the majority of her legal career at Winston & Strawn, a firm that has Liberty Maritime among its clients.
She is the family’s third generation of lawyers, as Philip entered the maritime industry first through his job as general counsel at shipowner Apex Maritime.
Brooke always wanted to be a lawyer but became interested in a maritime career during the early stages of her law career. It solidified when she worked on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for which BP was a client of Winston & Strawn.
“It became evident to me that shipping is really a part of everyone’s lives — whether they know it or not — and I loved being part of an industry that plays an essential role in everyday life,” she said.
Brooke said she is excited to work alongside her brother to continue to grow the company.
“I am extremely lucky that one of the greatest US-flag shipping magnates just happens to be my father,” she said. “Shipping has always been a huge part of our family and our lives.”
