A high-ranking Port of Mobile executive was named the next CEO of the Port of New Orleans and Public Belt Railroad on Thursday, as the port’s board opted to recruit from a Gulf Coast rival that has sharply outpaced him in the container sector in the main area. freight in the past ten years.
Beth Ann Branch, a veteran port official who most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Mobile, was appointed by the seven-member board as the new leader of Louisiana’s premier downstream port following a two-month recruitment process led from advisors Korn Ferry.
“After an extensive national search, it became clear that Beth Ann Branch is the visionary leader needed to move Port NOLA and Louisiana forward,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said in a news release following a closed board session to discuss the choice .
Beth Ann Branch, center, was selected as the new CEO of the Port of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, succeeding Brandy Christian, who left in May. She is pictured with board chairman Michael Thomas, to her right, and other board members on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
“Her deep knowledge of the commercial landscape and her track record of promoting rapid economic growth will ensure that our state remains a crucial player in the global supply chain,” he added.
The port employs about 200 people and generates about $100 million a year in revenue from handling containers and bulk cargo, cruise ships, operating rail links and leasing warehouses and other properties. However, the economic activity generated by domestic and international trade through the Port of New Orleans is much greater: A JP Morgan Chase report estimates that one in five Louisiana jobs are port-related, each accounting for approximately $600 million in wages. year.
The Port began its search for a CEO in July, two months after the unexpected resignation of Brandy Christian, who left to take a job at a private railroad company in Florida after more than seven years at the helm in New Orleans.
The port’s financial director, Ronald Wendel, has been acting CEO since Christian’s departure.
Mike Thomas, who was appointed by Landry as port chairman last month, said Branch is exactly the kind of leader needed to guide the port’s next phase of growth.
“As we continue to advance transformative projects, Beth’s leadership will be essential in positioning the port as a leading force in international trade and a key driver of economic prosperity for our region,” said Thomas.
Branch has been Chief Commercial Officer at Mobile since 2021. That function is typically crucial in developing a port’s overall strategy, managing relationships with major customers and developing its product line. Branch joined six months after John Driscoll took over as CEO at Mobile, following him from the Port of Oakland, California, where they had both worked.
Branch, who graduated from Duke University in 1986 and later earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina, worked for more than 18 years for the Danish company AP Moller Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, in various positions in New York, Copenhagen and Norfolk ,Virginia.
Main rival
The Port of Mobile has become a serious competitor to Port NOLA in container freight over the past decade. It has overtaken New Orleans in container shipping, with more than 580,000 standard-size containers passing through Mobile last year. Container volume at the Port of New Orleans has fallen by about 15% over the period, to about 481,000 units last year.
The Port of New Orleans is making a big bet to reverse that trend by building a new $1.8 billion container port in St. Bernard Parish.
The project, called the Louisiana International Terminal, is seen as the toughest lift a new CEO will face. Its success depends on raising funds from various government and private sector sources, as well as navigating politics, including continued opposition from parish political leaders and a group of residents strongly opposed to a new container port. They have argued that this would cause traffic chaos and pollute their local environment.
Several lawsuits are still pending seeking to block progress on the terminal’s development.
This is a developing story. Check back regularly for updates
