King Abdullah Economic City, April 2021: Ports Development Company (PDC), the owner and developer of King Abdullah Port, has announced the appointment of Jay New as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the port.
Welcoming Jay New, the Board of Directors of Ports Development Company said the new CEO would play a key role in accelerating King Abdullah Port’s growth and strengthening its role as the leading regional logistics hub, and enhancing its contributions to the national economy, in line with the Vision 2030 objectives.
Thanking the Board of Directors for its confidence in him, Jay New said: “I am truly honoured to be appointed as the CEO of King Abdullah Port. I look forward to working closely with such an experienced team, as well as with the various Government authorities, and our local, regional, and international partners, to further enhance King Abdullah Port’s services and efficiency and creating solutions for cargo owners in the region; ultimately strengthening the Kingdom’s trade and logistics capabilities in line with Vision 2030.”
Jay brings a proven record of accomplishment and extensive professional experience to the role, with a 20-year career in the ports, shipping, and logistics environment. He most recently served as the CEO and General Manager of IPS/Hutchison Ports Dammam a multi-purpose deep-water facility situated at the King Abdulaziz Port Dammam. He previously also served as a Board Member of the Saudi Development & Export Service Co. Ltd., and served as the Director of Gulftainer in the UAE. He has also held senior positions with leading maritime across leading companies, including Maersk and Safmarine. He has an honors degree from the University of Leeds and is a graduate of the London Business School. He was trained in shipping and ports by the internal specialists at Maersk Line and Hutchison Ports.
As the CEO, Jay New will oversee the day-to-day operations of King Abdullah Port, in addition to leading the long-term growth and development of the port and logistics services in line with its strategic objectives. Jay’s appointment reflects King Abdullah Port’s present and future strategies and aspirations, as it enters an exciting phase of growth amid the challenges of the current global economic situation and the rapid changes in the industry.
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About King Abdullah Port
Strategically located on the Red Sea coast in King Abdullah Economic City, King Abdullah Port is the Middle East’s first privately owned, developed and operated port. Occupying an area of 17.4 km2, and enjoying close proximity to the key Saudi cities of Jeddah, Holy Makkah, Al Madinah and Yanbu, as well as its direct access to extensive transportation networks that facilitates the cargo transport through the kingdom and the rest of the region, the port is making an increasingly important contribution to the Kingdom’s global role in maritime trade and logistics. Once fully completed, King Abdullah Port will be capable of handling 25 million TEU, 1.5 million CEU and 25 million tons of clean bulk cargo annually.
With state-of-the-art infrastructure and processing facilities, the world’s deepest 18-m berths, multi-level expanding operations, in addition to a fully-integrated Port Community System, the Smart Gate system and multipurpose bonded and re-export zones, King Abdullah Port reflects the important role of the private sector in realizing Vision 2030.
