Masakorala to address inaugural Industry Leaders’ Strategy Summit at Intermodal Asia 2017 Shanghai,

New for 2017, Intermodal Asia – the world’s leading exhibition and conference for the global container, transport and logistics market – will launch the Industry Leaders’ Strategy Summit (ILSS) which will take place on 21-23 March in Shanghai, China. Bringing together leading experts within the intermodal and container industry, this inaugural summit will provide a platform to discuss strategic global issues and trends, as well as facilitating business networking.

The ILSS will explore the current and future state of the industry through focused themes including; ‘On the Horizon: Outlook for Trade and the Market’, ‘The Container Industry: Moving Forward in a Changed Landscape’, ‘Smart Ports for the 21st Century’ and an ‘Update on China’s One Belt, One Road’.

Shippers’ Academy Colombo CEO Rohan Masakorala from Sri Lanka will be addressing two key ILSS sessions where he will also represent Global Shippers’ Forum.

The summit will commence with Tim Smith, Chairman, China and Chief Representative, North Asia, Maersk Group, delivering the industry keynote – ‘Overview of the Market and Future Needs’.

In the same forum, Tim Power, Director Head of Maritime Advisors at Drewry, will present ‘Global Economic Outlook for the Container Industry ’, outlining Drewry’s current view of the liner industry and the key mid-term issues. “The liner industry is going through a period of rapid change” states Power. “Internal industry factors and global geopolitics are generating a host of opportunities and risks. The key long-term issue is how does the liner industry establish a structure that will allow sustainable profitability?”

With the container industry coming out of a momentous year of change, ‘The Container Industry: Moving Forward in a Changing landscape’ will be the focus of sessions in the afternoon of Day One, chaired by Greg Knowler, Asia Editor of IHS Maritime and Trade. 

The shippers’ perspective will be well represented within the summit. A panel comprised of Dow Chemical, the Global Shippers’ Forum, the Hong Kong Shippers’ Council and the Shippers’ Academy Colombo will discuss, ‘The Shippers’ Perspective: getting the industry back on track’; an overview of the shipping industry’s current environment and its impact on shippers. Chris Welsh, Rohan Masakorala & Willy Lin will represent the shippers.

The afternoon sessions on day two, will deliver an update on China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’, with presentations given by speakers including; Edoardo Podesta, Managing Director of Air & Sea Logistics Asia Pacific at Dachser, Henry Tillman, Chairman and CEO at Grisons Peak Investment, Jianwei Xu, Associate Professor, Business School, Beijing Normal University and Rohan Masakorala, Shippers’ Academy Colombo.

Nik Delmeire, Secretary General at the European Shippers’ Council, Thomas Emil Jensen, from Maersk Line, Jason Chiang, Director, Ocean Shipping Consultants, Lars Anke, of the Port of Hamburg, vessel traffic management, Artin Songbing Ding, General Manager of Strategy and Research Department at Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), Kees Kuijken, Board Member of New Silk Way Logistics and CEO at KLG Europe, Tatiana Serova, Commercial Director, A.R.T Logistics, will be the other speakers at the Intermodal Asia discussing various topics this year.