Philip Oetker is leaving Hamburg Süd, the last family member linked to the previous ownership of the famous German shipping line.
Maersk bought Hamburg Süd from the Oetker family in 2017, and has gradually integrated the line into the Danish carrier’s global operations.
In January this year Maersk announced it was moving towards a single, unified brand that will see shipping lines including 152-year-old Hamburg Süd discontinued and integrated into Maersk. Since then a number of Hamburg Süd ships have been in and out of dry dock, with Maersk’s blue paint covering the famous red of the German carrier and ships also being renamed whereby, for instance, the Cap San Nicolas is now the San Nicolas Maersk, and also sports different hull markings.
Hamburg Süd was founded in 1871. It belonged to the Oetker Group from 1955 to 2017 when it was sold to Maersk for $4.4bn.
Philip Oetker stayed on with Hamburg Süd serving as chief commercial officer, but yesterday he announced via social media that he will be leaving the company at the end of July.
“Although Winnie the Pooh may not be a regular LinkedIn contributor, in this case his words capture my feelings precisely: ‘How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,’” Oetker wrote, drawing a veil over his 16-year career at the German line. He remains on the advisory board of the Oetker Group, one of Germany’s largest family-run conglomerates with interests in food, beverages, hotels and logistics.