Mathias Somers (33) of Hapag-Lloyd is the new chairman of ASV – The Next Generation. “I want to make the added value of young ASV more widely known so that we can grow with our association,” said the brand-new chairman.
The new chairman of ASV – The Next Generation was introduced at the Antwerp event venue Plein Publiek on Thursday evening, 20 June. After an election with several candidates, Mathias Somers, manager key accounts BCO at the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, emerged as the winner.
As the third generation in the family, Mathias Somers is active in the maritime world. “My grandfather was first a captain on long sea and after he came ashore, he became a nation boss. My mother Martine Hiel (Hutchison) has also worked in the sector for almost 40 years,” Somers says. “So I grew up with ships and containers and that’s how I got the microbe.”
After studying Logistics Management at KDG University of Applied Sciences, Mathias Somers has since been working for various shipping companies for about 10 years, the last three years under the flag of Hapag-Lloyd.
Networking
“After being active as secretary at young-ASV for six years, I applied for the position of chairman. I felt the time was ripe to take the plunge and I also already had some ideas,” Somers said.
He can now put those ideas into practice during his tenure as chairman for the next two years. “I mainly want to capitalise on growth,” says Somers. “We are a medium-sized association, but due to the upper age limit of 40, there is always some outflow. That makes growth a challenge; that’s what we want to work on now. Unknown makes unloved, which is why I would like to engage with the managing directors of certain companies so that they delegate their young potentials.”
This also greatly benefits the companies. “Our association serves to expand knowledge and get to know people. Through ASV, you get contacts of a very high level. We focus on quality events, with interesting topics and ditto keynote speakers. Personally, my membership of ASV – The Next Generation has also helped me in my career, and I can now put my knowledge and network at the service of Hapag-Lloyd. But we also want to actively promote our sector to secondary and higher education students,” Mathias Somers concludes.
Engagement
“In order to continue our youth work, we are always looking for young people who want to get actively involved,” adds Kristel Van Hecken,policy advisor at the Antwerp Shipping Association (ASV). “The young people must be committed themselves, of course, but companies must also allow their people to be active with us.”
“Thursday (20 June, ed) was of course a fun party, but we mainly organise knowledge events. So we participated in Young Anchorage, various company visits, have speakers come, and so on. In short, we offer a wide palette of activities that teach something and expand the network.”
“Through initiatives like the Supply Chain Experience Day, we also try to enthuse students, both from high schools and colleges,” Kristel Van Hecken concludes.
