CEO of HAROPA PORT Stéphane Raison appointed Vice-President for Europe of the IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbors)
The chief executive of France’s leading port took yesterday – for 2 years – the post of Vice-President for Europe of the International Association of Ports and Harbors. This is the first time the post has been held by a French citizen, yet another more sign of the determination of HAROPA PORT, and of France, to adopt a position at the forefront of the ongoing changes in the port sector.
IAPH is a non-governmental organization (NGO) created in November 1955 by around 100 world port leaders. Over the past six decades, IAPH has developed into a global alliance of ports and represents today some 177 ports and 147 port-related businesses in 84 countries. Taken together, the member ports handle well over 60% of the world’s sea-borne trade and over 60% of the world’s container traffic. As a trade association of reference, IAPH aims to be the industry benchmark for sharing best practice by the planet’s most advanced ports.
It was on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of IAPH ports held yesterday in Abu Dhabi that
Stéphane Raison’s appointment as VP Europe was officially confirmed by a vote of the Regular Members and Honorary Members of the organization.
Given that all ports are currently facing the same challenges regarding climate change and energy transition, Stéphane Raison, as VP Europe, will seek to ensure that all good practices will be shared across the different IAPH regions – in particular on the Climate & Energy and Risk & Resilience Committees. This will allow all the ports to more effectively replicate technologies and processes that are already in place and have demonstrated their efficacy in tackling global warming, CO2 emissions and safety & security issues.
As the Vice-President for Europe, Stéphane Raison will be focusing on the following areas:
- Green ports – the sharing of knowledge and expertise to promote greener transport;
- Ports as instruments for reindustrialization: acceptance of port activities and collaboration with
stakeholders; - Innovation – the ways in which ports can play a role in consolidating R&D and Innovation;
- Safety & security, with an emphasis on cybersecurity.
For Stéphane Raison: “I am proud of the trust placed in me by the members of the IAPH. I think that the
port authority of tomorrow will be able to play a proactive role in contributing to and establishing a new
framework for growth aligned with climate change, energy transition and reindustrialization. I strongly
believe that the efficiency of a port is linked to the interactions between industrial actors, the logistics
sector and shipping companies – and – of course, interactions with other port authorities. That is why,
as IAPH Europe Vice-President, I am looking forward to continuing the excellent work that has been
done up to now by my predecessors and to further boosting our dynamism and deeply held beliefs. I am
a firm believer in the power of the IAPH network. Everywhere in the world ports are facing the same
challenges and experience has convinced me absolutely that although you can travel faster alone,
together we can go further!”
Stéphane Raison, in brief
A French civil servant working at the Ministry of transport, a qualified engineer by training, Stéphane Raison began his career in the maritime and coastal sector working initially for Les Sables d’Olonne to head up the Maritime and Risks Department. He subsequently joined the Port of Dunkirk in early 2009 as Director of Planning and Environment, where he managed the LNG terminal installation project. From 2012 to 2014, he led the reform of the port of La Réunion (Indian Ocean), where he developed the European container hub project, among others. He later returned to Dunkirk as Chair of the Executive Committee from 2014 to 2020.
In November 2020, he was asked by France’s Prime Minister to conduct the merger of the Ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris (HAROPA), the most important project in the field of port and maritime affairs in France and Europe. And he has been CEO of HAROPA PORT, the fruit of that merger, since 1 June 2021.
Among his priorities at HAROPA PORT, he intends to continue the process of investment and fundamental change at the port, developing the first decarbonised industrial ecosystem and continuing the structural development of its multimodal logistics corridor.
