Chris Koch, current president and CEO of the World Shipping Council (WSC), will retire from his position on July 31, 2015, and WSC Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, John Butler, will assume that position on August 1 of next year. Following his retirement as president, Koch will continue to support the council in a senior advisory capacity.
In announcing the personnel changes, Chairman of the WSC Board of Directors, Ron Widdows, said, “During [Koch’s] 15 years of leadership, he helped the liner shipping industry build WSC into a respected advocacy organization that represents the industry effectively in Washington, in Brussels, at the International Maritime Organization and World Customs Organization, with other international and national government and industry bodies and with the media. The WSC Board is very grateful for his excellent service to the industry, and appreciates his desire to step down from the WSC presidency and enjoy retirement in the Sonoma Valley, but still support the work of the Council.
Widdows added, “The board is confident that John Butler will provide a seamless transition for the council’s continuing efforts on behalf of the liner shipping industry. When he assumes the position of president next summer, John will have served as WSC’s General Counsel for five years, and prior to that worked on liner shipping issues for 18 years at the renowned maritime law firm of Sher & Blackwell. John has been deeply engaged in all the issues WSC is working on in addition to his broader expertise on a wide range of issues that could affect the industry.”