Scandlines, the German-Danish, green and innovative ferry operator in the Baltic Sea, has appointed Vagn Sørensen as Chairman as of 01 January 2020.
Vagn Sørensen brings over 30 years’ experience from international business and the aviation industry in particular. He joined Scandinavian Airlines in 1984 and became Executive Vice President in 1994. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Austrian Airlines in 2001, stepping down in 2006 to successfully pursue a plural career.
Vagn Sørensen has extensive experience across both executive and non-executive positions internationally. He currently holds a number of roles, including Chairman of
Air Canada, Chairman of FLSmidth & Co., Chairman of SSP Group Plc and Chairman of Flying Tiger Copenhagen. Vagn Sørensen is also a board member at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Scandlines will benefit from Vagn Sørensen’s leadership skills and his extensive commercial experience, gained from a variety of businesses operating in similar industries as Scandlines.
Vagn Sørensen says: “I am delighted to be joining Scandlines as Chairman. I am excited by the company’s green agenda, its growth prospects and strong customer focus. I look forward to working with Søren Poulsgaard Jensen and the management team to continue Scandlines’ development.”
Søren Poulsgaard, CEO of Scandlines, comments: “I am happy to welcome Vagn as Chairman. His knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we pursue our green strategy, continually enhance our customer experience and modernise our fleet.”
Vagn Sørensen takes over the position as Chairman from Steve Ridgway, who joined Scandlines as Chairman in 2014. Steve Ridgway comments: “I have enjoyed the journey with Scandlines since 2014 and I am happy to pass the keys on to an experienced operator with a track record of building big brands in the leisure travel and retail sector.”
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About Scandlines
Scandlines stands as a symbol of a historical and close cooperation between Denmark and Germany. Scandlines runs two ferry routes with high capacity and frequency as well as with a green vision for the future.
The core business is to provide an efficient and reliable transport service for both passengers and freight customers. The main focus for all activities in Scandlines is to create value for our customers on board the ferries as well as in our shops.
With more than 43,000 departures on 8 ferries, in 2018 Scandlines transported 7.4 million passengers, 1.8 million cars and more than 700,000 freight units and 36,000 busses on the routes Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser.
