Port of Hamburg Marketing HHM Restructures

The association Port of Hamburg Marketing e.V., founded in 1985, is undergoing a structural reorganization. With the conclusion of Ingo Egloff’s board activities, who will retire on March 31, 2022, the areas of responsibility and personnel duties at HHM need to be restructured. The association comprises 280 member companies.

(Hamburg) Ingo Egloff has shaped and influenced Port of Hamburg Marketing alongside Axel Mattern since January 1, 2014. After his time as a member of the Bundestag, he utilized his extensive contacts to consistently bring not only the Port of Hamburg but also the maritime economy, infrastructure projects in the hinterland, and the north-west German port locations into the focus of federal politics.

A great example is the Port Breakfast at the Hamburg State Representation. This successful event celebrated a small anniversary in March 2022 with its 55th Port Breakfast. Ingo Egloff has sustainably shaped this format. “With his creativity, steadfastness, and persuasive power, Ingo Egloff consistently highlighted the advantages of the Port of Hamburg in the global supply chain. An important aspect when it comes to the distribution of federal funds for infrastructure projects. We will miss him,” says Axel Mattern, who will now serve as the sole board member.

Ensuring a Smooth Transition

In the management led by Axel Mattern, Kerstin Pfietzmann will take over responsibility for finance and administration. Mathias Schulz and Bengt van Beuningen will be responsible for marketing, communication, and strategy. “Due to the experiences during Corona with the accompanying new, broader areas of activity, a reorientation of our organizational structure was very important. On the other hand, we are ensuring a smooth transition that comes with personnel changes. With the changes now made in close coordination with our association committees, we are positioning Port of Hamburg Marketing very well and are excellently prepared for the demands of the near future,” says Axel Mattern.

Port Representations Managed from the Headquarters

The highly independent port representations are managed from the Hamburg headquarters. Axel Mattern will take responsibility for the D-A-CH region: Germany-West, East, South, Switzerland, and Austria. The other port representations will be managed at headquarters by department heads. Mathias Schulz, with the support of Inga Gurries, oversees the activities of the representations in China and India, while Marina Basso Michael is responsible as Regional Director Europe for coordinating tasks and market development in the regions of Scandinavia, the Baltics, the Baltic Sea, and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). There continues to be a very close exchange and intensive collaboration between the HHM headquarters and the port representations both domestically and abroad.

Market Research at the Management Level

The also very internationally oriented projects area at HHM is led by Stefan Breitenbach, who manages EU projects, member projects, and national funding projects within his team. In the communications area, which has been newly structured since October 2021, Bengt van Beuningen is responsible for press work and print products, while Mathias Schulz leads the Digital & Live areas with social media and moving images, trade fairs, and events. Jochen Wischhusen is responsible for the HHM’s web presence and all technology in the areas of IT, studio, video technology, and post-production of moving image formats. The activities of market research, which are important for all areas of HHM, are directly managed by the executive board.

40 Employees at Twelve Locations

The operational work of the association, which operates as a private law association at a total of 12 locations in Germany and abroad to market the location for the Port of Hamburg, the partners, and ports along the transport chain, as well as for the approximately 280 member companies, is carried out by more than 40 employees of the association.

Photo: © HHM/Achim Multhaupt / Image Caption: Ingo Egloff (left) and Axel Mattern