Famous Pacific Shipping names new chairman and advisory

At its recent Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Famous Pacific Shipping Group (FPS Group) appointed a new Advisory Board to provide governance to the fast-growing Asia-based network of NVOCC and freight forwarding companies.

The new Advisory Board will be chaired by Gihan Nanayakkara, FPS Sri Lanka, who is joined by Michele Dougal, FPS Brisbane; Jens-Ole Holmager, Team Freight Denmark; and Hendratmoko Walujo, FPS Indonesia.

Benny Ling, FPS Hong Kong was re-elected as Group treasurer, while Chito Rollan, FPS Philippines will act as IT consultant to the Board.

Some 115 participants travelled to Bali from 60 offices in 40 countries to take part in one of the highlights of the three-day event: one-to-one meetings between member companies of the FPS Group. This year, 1,248 individual meetings were organised.

Delegates were informed that the 2012 AGM is to be hosted in Genoa, Italy by Group member Sinergy Cargo Management Italy Srl.

Members heard a rallying cry from the Advisory Board that the FPS Group is in a better position than its rival groups to counter the prevailing economic woes in many of its market. This assurance comes from the Group’s strengths and synergies created in over a decade of freight service around the world.

Nanayakkara said that next year remains a challenge for the FPS Group globally, as it does for many freight industry players, but one in which the Group is confident it will continue to service its client base worldwide to the highest standards while at the same time confidently demonstrating its relevance and importance in creating a better business environment for its members worldwide.

The AGM, being held 12 years after the inaugural meeting of the network in Rotterdam in 1999, saw many new agents who have joined the Group in the last year introduce themselves. These included new general agents from Bulgaria, Brazil, Uruguay, Italy, Colombia and Pakistan. This brings membership of the Group up to 28 companies from 19 countries under the instantly recognisable FPS Banner.