Leeson has more than 20 years of international experience in the shipping and ports industry, including most recently as Head of Commercial for Associated British Ports (ABP) Humber region, covering the ports of Immingham, Hull, Grimsby and Goole. After starting out as a trainee with Harrison Line in Liverpool, he moved on to P&O Nedlloyd and Maersk Line, working in a range of commercially focused roles based in the UK, Latin America, France and Spain. In 2008, Leeson switched into container terminal management, heading up the commercial function at Tilbury Container Services. This was followed by a brief spell with Inchcape Shipping Services as Global Key Account Manager before joining ABP.
On his move to the UK’s newest deep-sea container port at London Gateway, Leeson said: “Things are really starting to take shape at DP World London Gateway Port and Logistics Park, with ships calling from across the globe and the park’s first distribution centre being full of cargo from Asia. You can also see the potential that still exists, which I find really exciting.
“It’s nice to be reunited with some people I’ve worked with before and it will be great to reconnect with some of my previous customers and to begin forging relationships with plenty of new customers as well.
“I’m passionate about being able to provide customers with tailored solutions, so that they get the best possible product that works for them. This future-proofed facility, with its various propositions – all hugely compelling – make it a lot easier to meet the needs of customers across the industry.”
Simon Moore, CEO, DP World London Gateway, said: “I am delighted to welcome James to our growing team. He brings with him a wealth of experience from within the container shipping industry and I look forward to his contribution towards the continued success of our fast growing, state-of-the-art container port and logistics park.
“James will also work closely with our supply chain team and report to Cameron Thorpe, Port General Manager.”