Hapag Lloyd CEO: What does resilience look like when trade routes break? - Leaders Unplugged

In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach speaks with Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, about leading a global shipping giant through geopolitical tension, climate pressure, and permanent uncertainty, into the future of global trade. When violence erupted in the Red Sea in 2023, the stakes became brutally clear: “One of our ships was actually hit. (…) so then it’s not a very difficult decision, you know, to protect your people and to have them then sail around the Cape of Good Hope.” The harder question, he explains, is: When is it safe to go back? Our guest Rolf Habben Jansen – Chief Executive Officer, Hapag-Lloyd AG LinkedIn:   / rolf-habben-jansen-970a1a50   Hapag-Lloyd: https://www.hapag-lloyd.com Rolf Habben Jansen has led Hapag-Lloyd since 2014, transforming it into one of the world’s top-five global container shipping companies. A veteran of the logistics and transport industry, he has championed decarbonization, digitalization, and quality as the company’s defining competitive edge. Timestamps 01:19 – What makes shipping so addictive 07:55 – Decarbonization and the future of green fuels 10:47 – LNG, methanol, ammonia — or nuclear? 12:39 – Red Sea crisis: resilience under fire 17:55 – Competing on quality and customer trust 22:04 – Can Europe compete on quality, not cost? 24:27 – Tariffs, trade wars, and the next phase of globalization 28:19 – Humility and the myth of the hero CEO 30:56 – Building resilience in an uncertain world 35:01 – Leadership lessons from ice hockey Connect with IMD: Follow IMD on Instagram: @imdbusinessschool Follow IMD on LinkedIn: @imd-business-school Follow IMD on BlueSky: @imdbusinessschool.bsky.social Follow IMD on Facebook: @imdbschool Follow IMD on Substack: https://substack.com/@ibyimd