DP World Appoints Rizwan Soomar as New CEO and MD of Subcontinent Region

MUMBAI:
Global trade enabler DP World has appointed Rizwan Soomar, as the new CEO and Managing Director for its Indian Subcontinent region with effect from 1st January 2018.
Soomar has spent over two decades in the maritime and logistics industry with senior leadership roles at AP Moller Maersk Group including tenures as Managing Director of the Group’s logistics arm in Egypt, Managing Director for Maersk Line – India & Sri Lanka and Vice President and Global COO of Svitzer.
Rizwan Soomar, said: “I am honoured to be appointed to this position and it is a privilege to be part of a business that has played a vital role in shaping India’s growing maritime trade for more than a decade. The sector is undergoing major transformation and I am excited of the opportunities that lie ahead. I am confident that with the expertise and experience of our team globally, we will help the region develop cost effective logistics and warehousing solutions to efficiently serve the growing export and import trade.”
Soomar replaces former SVP & Managing Director, Anil Singh who is taking over new responsibilities outside India. Anil Singh, added: “It has been an extraordinary experience leading the growth of our business in the region – from the first ever private public partnership at Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) to opening the most modern facility in the country – the Nhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal (NSIGT). I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support and the trust they placed in me to develop our business into the leadership position it enjoys today. We wish Soomar every success in his new role.”
DP World has invested in the development of 5 international gateway ports in India and has a strategy of developing existing facilities rather than building more greenfield sites, with the aim of reaching internal markets, investing in cold storage facilities and networks and using coastal and inland waterways to increase efficiencies and lower costs. Its focus is on growing operations and it announced an intention to seek opportunities worth over USD $1bn last year. Investments could cover ports and associated logistics; inland container depots and expansion of existing inter-modal rail services for rolling stock. The company is also interested in the Sagar Mala project, inland waterway transportation and reducing the cost of logistics.