The Board of Associated British Ports (ABP) has announced the appointment of Jonathan Lewis as its Chair in succession to Dr Phil Nolan.
Lewis brings decades of business leadership experience, predominantly in major infrastructure sectors such as energy, engineering and construction.
He has held CEO roles at AmecFosterWheeler plc and, most recently, Capita plc, where he led both organisations through periods of growth and transformation.
Lewis is currently a Non-Executive Director of Equinor, a global leader in the energy transition, where his role includes being Chair of the Safety, Sustainability and Ethics Committee.
Lewis is expected to take up the role after the completion of ABP’s Board meeting in September, at which point Nolan will step down. Nolan, Lewis and the Board will work together in advance of this handover point to ensure a smooth transition.
“I’m excited to be taking on the Chair role at Associated British Ports,” said Lewis.
“As an island nation, ports have been vital to the UK for millennia. But their importance and contribution have never been greater as they maintain their historic role as our main gateways for global trade and play an increasingly pivotal new role as enablers of the energy transition.
“The opportunity to join ABP, the sector leader, and continue the transformation of the company and its portfolio is exciting, and I look forward to working with the Board, Henrik and the Executive Team to deliver on the strategy.”
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“I’m delighted to be passing the tiller over to Jon, who brings a great combination of senior leadership in relevant sectors, technical understanding and experience of steering businesses through transformation to growth,” said Nolan.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at ABP. It’s been a great privilege to be Chair and I’m proud of what the business has achieved through testing times. The foundations have been laid for a strong and sustainable future and I’m confident that Jon will take it from strength to strength.”
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Henrik L. Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer of ABP, said: “The Board and Company of ABP extends its huge thanks to Phil for successfully steering ABP through seven transformational years as Chair, during which Phil has steered ABP through the challenges of the COVID pandemic, Brexit and major global supply chain upheavals.
“Despite these challenges, ABP has continued to grow and thrive, with the Board under Phil’s leadership supporting a programme of ambitious investment and increased involvement with the green energy sector.
“We look forward to welcoming Jon as Chair. His deep experience of businesses in the major infrastructure and capital projects delivery sectors will be invaluable to ABP.
“In particular his engagement with the energy transition through his roles at AmecFosterWheeler and Equinor is directly applicable to ABP’s green growth mission, a key to our future success.”
In March 2024, ABP began construction on the first phase of the Marchwood Port’s ABP Solent Gateway development.
