LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Gene Seroka, an executive with APL shipping line, as executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
The Board of Harbor Commissioners will consider the nomination at its June 5 meeting. Seroka's nomination must also be confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council.
"I'm confident that Gene will be a strong leader who will enhance our international trade agenda, increase reliability and efficiency through effective management and labor relations, and ensure our Port is a sustainable and positive neighbor to the Harbor community," Garcetti said in a prepared statement.
Geraldine Knatz, former executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, announced plans to retire in October.
"I would also like to thank Interim Executive Director Gary Lee Moore for leading the Port so capably over the last seven months, and I am delighted to welcome him back to his critical role as the City Engineer of the City of Los Angeles, where he is responsible for the city's vast network of public infrastructure," Garcetti said.
Seroka said he "looks forward to focusing our operations to provide world-class customer service while continuing to invest in a healthy and vibrant harbor community."
Seroka leaves a position as head of commercial in the Americas Region for APL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines and the world's seventh largest ocean carrier. He was previously President of the Americas Region.
Based in Phoenix, he led more than 1,000 employees and all of APL's sales and operations activities in North, Central, and South America. He managed sales for the Company's liner shipping as well as overseeing its four U.S. marine terminals and intermodal operations throughout the territory. In his previous role, he was vice president Middle East & East Africa, based in Dubai, for NOL group from April 2008.
Seroka began working for APL after graduating from business school as a sales support representative in the company's Cincinnati office. Seroka earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of New Orleans in 1986 and an MBA from the University of New Orleans in 1988.
In February 2014, the executive search firm Ralph Anderson & Associates began the search to fill the position. The Harbor Commission presented their top candidates to Garcetti for his review.
