A self-described “bullish believer,” Christopher J. “Chris” Connor is looking to apply nearly 40 years of ocean shipping experience, including as top executive of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, to leading a hemispheric association representing interests of more than 130 member ports in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Connor is to begin transitioning into the role of president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Port Authorities on Sept. 23, with plans to assume the helm from retiring Kurt J. Nagle on Oct. 16, the final day of the Alexandria, Virginia-based association’s annual convention in Norfolk, Virginia.
While a bit too early to get into policy specifics, Connor shares with AJOT readers his lifelong love for shipping and inspirations that led him to seek the AAPA position.
As you look to advance initiatives of AAPA, how do you anticipate applying your four decades of global ocean carrier experience – including with United States Lines, Crowley Maritime and, most recently, 23 years with Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, including as its president and chief executive officer?
I flat-out love the shipping business. I grew up in Western Massachusetts, so I didn’t really grow up in a maritime environment. But I think the reason I fell in love with it in the early stages is because it took a very large and complex world and made it easier to understand. It made the world smaller, and the ingredient was trade between nations.
Suddenly, what seemed so far away and so complicated was really not that far away at all. It could be connected through people talking and trading and ships and ports and trains and trucks. Understanding that ecosystem made the world so much smaller.
I’ve been a bullish believer in the value of trade and all the things that make trade possible, with ports really at the epicenter. It’s with that perspective that I start this new journey.
What inspired you to seek the AAPA leadership position?
I left WWL in early 2017. I’ve been doing some board work with [automotive logistics leader] The Pasha Group in Southern California and have been involved in Washington with some lobbying activities surrounding the Jones Act through the American Maritime Partnership.
Quite frankly, I was really enjoying it, particularly the Washington part, which was completely new to me. But this AAPA opportunity came my way, and the more I started to talk with the folks involved in the search and got to meet some of the people in the association, I realized, being flat-out smitten with the global trade scene, that I wanted a voice in that conversation.
Part of the voice I’d like to bring out is that I think shipping and logistics and all the things that make shipping and logistics possible are unfortunately pretty much underappreciated by the general public. That’s probably because it generally functions pretty well and doesn’t get much mainstream media attention But, of course, when something breaks, you hear a lot of noise.
There’s so much good out there and it’s such an exciting and cool industry that, to have this seat and be able to be a voice in the industry, it was the tipping point for me to say, “Let’s go for this.”
This is a trade association, unlike anything I’ve ever been involved with, and there’s a big difference between a trade association and a global shipping company. But I do believe, at the end of the day, there’s one common denominator and that is customers. In this case, the customers are ports and port authorities.
They have needs and desires and requirements. It’s our job to tap into those things and work like hell to deliver on those things.
Having lived all over the world, are you looking forward to relocating to the Washington/Northern Virginia area?
We’ve never lived there and plan to relocate there. My wife and I are pretty excited, at this stage of our lives, to do the urban experience thing, so our intention is to live in Washington. We’re all in on this thing, planning to enjoy it not just professionally but personally as well.
Who has most influenced your life?
Well, when you’re in this business for 38 years, you meet a lot of people. With some, you learn things you really want to emulate and, from others, you learn things you definitely do not want to emulate.
Let me name two guys professionally who really had an impact on me.
One was the late, great Doug Lewis [who died in 2010 at age 67]. He was the sales training champion at United States Lines. He eventually became my boss when he moved out to Asia to run Asian sales. He had a huge impact for me at a pretty tender age. I’ll never forget the guy. He was an absolute gem of a man.
The other guy who had a big impact, particularly on the way I approach things commercially, is Dennis Derby from Crowley Maritime Corp. [formerly vice president of business development, now retired], who was a tough, hard-driving boss but who made me appreciate at the end of the day that it’s about getting results – and he was real good at getting results.
What do you pursue for fun and relaxation beyond the workplace?
I’m kind of a golf junkie. I love golf. I don’t get to play it enough, because, as you know, it takes too damn long.
We have three adult sons – now 30, 28 and 24 – so my wife and I spend a lot of time trying to bring the family in the same place at the same time. It’s a whole different ballgame when your kids grow up and become men or women, as the case may be. To have an adult relationship with your kids is just awesome. No grandkids yet. No pressure on the kids, but that’ll happen at some point and be a whole new dimension.
Having lived in Europe as long as I did, about nine years, one great perspective you get is the importance of the work-life balance. I think Europeans have that a little better dialed in than the Americans. There are some lessons I learned there that have been and will remain of chief importance down the road.
