HH Ferries Group appoints new CEO
HH Ferries Group says its Board of Directors has appointed Johan Röstin as new CEO of HH Ferries Group. He will join the group after the summer 2017. Johan Röstin succeeds Henrik Rørbæk who announced his resignation in February this year.
“I am pleased to present our new CEO today. Johan is a highly regarded leader with an excellent track record within the transport sector. He is a commercially focused and business driven executive with strong operational skills and a commitment to drive continuous improvement and focus on customer service. Having worked with both transport and infrastructure, we look forward to have Johan lead the continuous efforts to strengthen the position of the Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör route as the region’s first choice of transport on Öresund,” said Rasmus Christiansen, Chairman at HH Ferries AB.
For the past 8 years, Johan Röstin has been the CEO of Copenhagen Malmö Port AB. Before joining Copenhagen Malmö Port AB he was Division Director at DB Schenker and was responsible for the growth strategy in Scandinavia and the development of new products for the region. Johan Röstin has studied business and sociology at Lund University and in 2014 has received the award “Årets Ekonom i Skåne” (Economist of the year in Skåne) from Ekonomiforum Skåne.
“I am excited to take on this opportunity to work with HH Ferries Group’s engaged and skilled employees to take our performance and competitiveness to the next level. Together we will focus on the highest quality and reliability, our innovative approach to environmental solutions and to provide outstanding service for our customers to meet and exceed their expectations. We will further develop our position as the reliable, environmental-friendly and competitive first choice of transport between Sweden and Denmark on Öresund”, said Johan Röstin.
“Johan Röstin will take over a ferry route in great shape and in the midst of the truly impressive battery conversion project which Henrik Rørbæk has spearheaded through its first phases. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Henrik for his dedicated efforts through more than 20 years of service. He held a steady course during the period of change where he oversaw the transformation of the ferry route between Helsingborg and Helsingör into an independent company. He also ensured a massive renewal of the harbor of Helsingør and led the plans for a new and safe skyway passage for the guests sailing with the Mercandia vessels. During the past months, Henrik helped us secure a smooth transition and he can look at many jobs well done when he turns 60 this summer,” said Rasmus Christiansen.
As previously announced, Henrik Rørbæk will resign by the end of June. During the interim period from 1 July until Johan Röstin takes up his position, COO Jens Ole Hansen will be acting CEO of HH Ferries Group.
HH Ferries Group operates Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör, transporting up to 50,000 passengers and 9,000 cars across Öresund on a daily basis with departures every fifteen minutes. The five modern vessels on the route offer travelers a short travel time of 20 minutes and a pleasant break with the option of shopping at low prices and enjoying a wide selection of food and beverages onboard.
Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör is the region’s floating bridge with the five vessels Aurora, Tycho Brahe, Hamlet, Mercandia IV and Mercandia VIII. The ferries are environmentally friendly and fitted with catalytic converters. In 2016-2017, Aurora and Tycho Brahe are converted to battery operation at a total investment of around SEK 300 million. INEA, the EU’s executive agency for innovation and network, supports the project with around SEK 120 million.
In 2016, Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör transported 7.3 million passengers and 1.4 million cars, 410,000 trucks and 20,000 buses, corresponding to around 20% of the vehicles crossing Öresund1 . The route promotes integration and growth in the Öresund region, and is operated by 750 employees. It operates on a daily basis to ensure an efficient connection between Denmark and Sweden with a view of making travellers’ crossing as pleasant and efficient as possible. The route furthermore contributes to generating up to 2,000 jobs in the region.
The ferry route is marketed under the trademark Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör and is owned by the company HH Ferries AB, headquartered in Helsingborg. Henrik Rørbæk is CEO of HH Ferries AB, which is owned by investment company First State Investments.
