Peel Ports has revealed major leadership changes following Tom Allison announcing his retirement as chairman.
He will be replaced by current chief executive Mark Whitworth who will stand down as chief executive when he takes on the role. Allison will remain in place as a non-executive director.
Whitworth will be replaced by Claudio Veritero as chief executive of the group. The moves will take effect on April 4.
Tom Allison was appointed chief executive of Clydeport in 1997 and subsequently led the creation of Peel Ports Group in 2003. He then combined the role of chief executive and chairman, overseeing the acquisition of Mersey Docks and Harbour Company in 2005.
Mark Whitworth joined Peel Ports as chief executive in 2010 and over his tenure has led major transformations across the business, including the concept and launch of Liverpool2, a £400 million deep water container terminal, the £100m development of a custom-built biomass import terminal for Drax Group plc and the ongoing regeneration of major hubs such as Hunterston PARC and the Inchgreen Dry Dock in Scotland.
Claudio Veritiero joined Peel Ports in 202. He has more than 25 years of experience working in the infrastructure, logistics, property development and financing markets.
He was previously chief operating officer at Kier Group and has held roles as chief operating officer of Speedy Hire and in the investment banking advisory division of Rothschild & Co.
Peel Ports grew on average by 10% year-on-year for the last decade. It has invested more than £1.2bn into its operations over the same period.
Latest Department for Transport data confirms Peel Ports to be one of the fastest growing port groups in the UK, already handling 70 million tonnes of cargo per year and with 15% of the UK’s total port traffic travelling through its waters.
Mark Whitworth said: “The time is right for change and Claudio will be integral to making that change happen as he leads the business into an exciting new era.
“Tom has been an outstanding mentor throughout his time with our group and has overseen an unprecedented period of success. His business acumen and strategic counsel have been critical over the last 25 years and we are privileged to have him continuing to support the company as a non-executive director.”
Claudio said: “I’m delighted to be taking on the role of chief executive and will look to build on the unprecedented success that Mark has led over 12 years.”
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