CK Americas was founded in 2013 by Michael Kaasner Kristiansen, following a 25-year career at the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. It is based in Panama and brings together people, ideas and assets in shipping, land transport, logistics, port and terminals, offering consultancy and management services. Clients include shipping and logistics companies, terminal operators, port authorities, as well as investors. CK Americas is focused on:

• Advisory, specialized in the Port, Shipping and Logistics Industries, combining up and coming industry trends with the latest technology and process methodology.
• Representation for different companies, with products ranging from a Fuel Catalyst, to refrigerated container spare parts.

Specialties: Market studies and Business Cases, Decisive and action-oriented Leadership, Creative Solutions, Business Development and Improvement, Driving Change, Lean, 6-Sigma, Procurement & Negotiation.

In the past 10 years, CK Americas have worked on or with close to 100 terminals + greenfield projects (containers, multipurpose or bulk facilities) in the Americas and 4 shipping lines, as well as freight forwarders and landside logistics companies, different authorities and investors. CK Americas partner up with other industry experts on individual projects.

Michael has broad experience from different parts of the A. P. Moller – Maersk Group, in Maersk Line, Safmarine, Maersk Logistics (now Damco), APM Terminals and other Container Business activities over the past 25 years in the group, working in 8 different countries (Denmark, USA, Brazil, Singapore, Uruguay, Russia, Japan and Panama). He has deep functional experience, having worked with Business Development, Marketing, Product Management, Terminal Projects and other Infrastructure Investments, Operations, Procurement and Country Management, including Human Resources and Finance and have held Board positions in 12 different group companies.

Michael was in 2008-2012 Head of Operations (aka Senior Director) for Maersk Line for Latin America & Caribbean, with responsibility for all Terminal, Depot and Vessel operations, and Procurement, latter with a US$ 1.2 billion annual expenditure. In 2012-2013, he was Managing Director for APM Terminals Inland Services, Latin America, overseeing 50 logistics facilities and transport assets in 13 countries, involved in Container Depots, Container maintenance, repair and sales, Warehouse and Distribution Centers and Trucking and Rail services.

CK Americas can be contacted via email michael@ckamericas.com