Lars Hedderich (58) will leave the EUROGATE Group on December 31, 2021, effectively stepping down from his role as Managing Director of EUROGATE Intermodal GmbH (EGIM). The move comes as part of the “Future EUROGATE” change process, which aims to permanently reduce the leading European shipping-line-independent container terminal group’s personnel and material costs by EUR 84 million. Christopher Beplat, appointed Managing Director EGIM in June 2020, will take over sole management of the company. He will be accompanied by long-time authorised signatories Niels Riedel (Sales) and André Gernhardt (Operations).
Having begun at the EUROGATE Group 32 years ago, Lars Hedderich was a pioneer for intermodal transport, successfully establishing and expanding this area of logistics as an important business segment. After beginning his career in sales, the qualified shipping merchant began to chart the course for seaport-hinterland transport at an early stage. For example, in 1993, as an authorised signatory of the newly founded EUROKOMBI, he initiated the Danube-Elbe Express with daily connections between Hamburg/Bremerhaven, Melnik (Czech Republic) and Budapest (Hungary). In addition, he advanced the national combined transport activities.
As one of the managing directors of EGIM, founded in 1999, Lars Hedderich continued the combined transport success story. While in Germany in 1999, he set new standards with the first private container block train Hamburg-Munich-Bremerhaven/Hamburg. He also helped establish other national rail transport services from Hamburg to Munich, Stuttgart as well as Nuremberg, and this gave impetus to the successful joint venture boxXpress.de, established in Hamburg in 2000. The private rail service company began with container transports between the German seaports and southern Germany.
The expansion of the boxXpress.hu service to the Bilk Kombiterminal in Budapest (Hungary) during 2006 was another important achievement under Lars Hedderich’s leadership. He also played a central role in EGIM’s majority stake acquisition of the Hungarian rail service company Floyd Zrt. in 2008.
Christopher Beplat, Managing Director of EGIM, emphasises: “Lars Hedderich deserves a special thanks for his founding role as well as many years of outstanding work. His commitment, industry knowledge and experience have made EGIM a leading provider of tailor-made solutions for the combined transport of sea containers. What our customers appreciate about EGIM is our reliability and flexibility – qualities that also distinguish Lars Hedderich. We wish him all the very best.”
Thomas H. Eckelmann, CEO, founder and co-owner of EUROGATE, shares: “As Chairman of the Management Board of the EUROGATE Group, I am responsible for the Intermodal Transport division and would like to personally thank Lars Hedderich for his unwavering loyalty and successful work in developing our intermodal network. He has reliably and enthusiastically stood by my side every day for more than 30 years. For this, I give him my sincerest thanks.”
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