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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations
Published: 14 July 2017 14 July 2017

Bermello Ajamil & Partners (B&A) has named Michael Vanderbeek as Director, Ports & Maritime. In this new role, Vanderbeek will report to Mark Ittel, Sr. Vice President, Ports & Maritime.

Vanderbeek, who has more than ten years of experience in the ports and maritime industries, joins B&A from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) in Boston, MA, where he served as Deputy Port Director for New England’s busiest seaport. In this position Vanderbeek played a leading role in growing Massport’s cruise and cargo volumes by more than 30 percent each, setting new records for both lines of business and increasing Massport’s annual maritime revenue by more than $10 million over three years. Vanderbeek also played a leading role in moving forward several of Massport’s strategic initiatives including the Flynn Cruiseport Boston and Conley Container Terminal master plans.

“Michael is a focused, results-oriented executive who combines solid experience in every facet of port management and marketing with a global perspective and a commitment to effective, sustainable solutions,” said Luis Ajamil, President and CEO of B&A. “He will provide outstanding leadership as B&A continues to build on its prolific, highly successful achievements in this multifaceted industry.”

Previously, Vanderbeek was Director of Business Development at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the 12th-busiest container port in the U.S. and second-busiest cruise port in the world. During his Port Everglades tenure, the Port became the busiest container port in Florida and saw record cruise passenger volumes of more than 4 million.

Earlier in his career, Vanderbeek served in a series of management positions with responsibilities in strategic planning, budgeting, operations, and business development at the Port of Long Beach (POLB), the second-busiest container port in North America. At POLB, he also oversaw administration of Foreign Trade Zone #50 and led economic development initiatives that helped to facilitate more than $86 million in new trade for the region, focusing on small and green technology businesses.

An American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)-certified Professional Port Manager, Vanderbeek also holds professional affiliations with the Cruise Canada New England (CCNE) Alliance and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He has a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.