Odgers Berndtson Recruits Stephen Edwards as Next Leader of the Virginia Port Authority

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Nov 02, 2020, 12:18 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Odgers Berndtson, a leading global executive search firm, is pleased to announce the successful recruitment of Stephen Edwards as the next leader of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) succeeding John F. Reinhart who for the last seven years has led the VPA as its CEO and Executive Director.

When Reinhart announced that he would be retiring in 2021, the VPA's executive search committee contacted Tim McNamara, K.D., Partner and Vice Chairman of Odgers Berndtson, to begin a worldwide search for a new leader.

With global experience in the transportation industry, Edwards has a proven track record of growing businesses, currently as the President and CEO of TraPac, LLC, which operates container terminals in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Florida. Before that he was Chief Executive Officer with Global Container Terminals (GCT) in Canada and also served as COO and President and CEO of Ports America, the largest terminal operator and stevedore in the U.S. He will start his new role with the VPA on January 19, 2021.

Commented Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson U.S., "Thanks to Tim McNamara's leadership and deep knowledge of the transportation and infrastructure sector, and our long-time partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the VPA, we successfully recruited an executive with unparalleled global experience to take the reins of the Ports of Virginia."

Tim McNamara said of the appointment, "Stephen Edwards' deep expertise in the transportation and infrastructure industry and his passion for innovation ensures continued excellence in the leadership of this important port as it develops future value for its customers."

"I am delighted to be joining the Virginia Port Authority team in January," Edwards said. "Under John Reinhart's leadership, the Ports of Virginia has put all of the pieces in place for long-term success. The goal is to take these collective assets and put them to work to the benefit of customers and cargo owners while attracting new business, jobs, and economic investment to Virginia. I look forward to continuing this positive momentum and leading the port to greater heights in the coming years."

According to Gov. Ralph S. Northam, "Virginia is proud of its 21^st century port which drives economic investment and job creation. I thank John for his exceptional leadership and welcome Stephen, whose track record of success and innovation will ensure the Port of Virginia is able to build upon its strong foundation. Bringing Stephen on board sends a strong message that the port will continue to be a powerful economic engine for Virginia, helping attract new businesses and anchoring a healthy maritime trade industry on our shores."

"Stephen's experience combines operational expertise, strategic thinking, and a keen knowledge of global markets," said Shannon R. Valentine, Virginia's Secretary of Transportation. "His leadership creates a great opportunity to build on the port's investments in people and infrastructure capacity to deliver even greater value for our customers around the world."

About Odgers Berndtson
For more than 50 years, Odgers Berndtson has delivered executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to the world's biggest and best organizations. Odgers Berndtson's 250+ partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and is one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson currently has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.