Jean Louis Cambon, former head of Michelin Ocean Management Committee in Paris, was inducted into the Institute’s ‘Hall of Fame’ at their 8th Annual European Chapter dinner on Tuesday 16th of April 2013. The dinner was held at the Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels.Mr. Cambon was a forceful voice for shippers, constantly championing the issues faced by the shipper industry through his work at the French Shippers’ Council (AUTF) and, later, his Chairmanship of the European Shippers Council’s (ESC) Maritime Transport Council.

The Institute had been collaborating with the late Mr. Cambon to learn more from his perspective about the shippers’ view of the global supply chain and from the Institutes perspective introduce to him the potential we believe exists in the shipper community forging direct relationships with port communities.
Joachim Coens Chairman of the Institute in Europe said on the night:
“Mr. Cambon made many important contributions to the global maritime industry, but it will be his work as Chair of the Maritime Transport Council at the European Shippers Council that he will be most remembered for. He was exactly what the industry needed to help to navigate the central but sometimes challenging relationship between cargo owner and shipping line.
The relationship was particularly strained at the time of his appointment due in no small part to the global recession which gripped the world. His voice of reason soared above the cacophony of noise emanating from both sides of the debate and it became evident quickly that he was leading change.
Jean-Louis’ sense of fairness and reason convinced many that he had found a way forward, he had rapidly come to the attention of the industry’s media and was increasingly being looked to for thought leadership.
It was against this backdrop that the industry learned of his untimely passing and was left with a sense of unfinished business. This is why the Institute decided to honour Jean-Louis Cambon; firstly to protect his legacy and secondly to record his vision so as to set a firm foundation, for those who come next to build on and continue from”

Jean Louis Cambon was a prominent campaigner for shippers and was widely respected for his in-depth knowledge of liner shipping, gained from working on both sides of the industry, first for ocean carriers and then as head of the ocean freight management committee at French tyre manufacturer Michelin

Jean Louis was an active member of the Shippers Council in his native France and became Chairman of the European Shippers Council influential Maritime Transport Council in 2010.Jean Louis was a regular speaker at industry conferences and events, was known for his forthright and outspoken views in contrast to the low profile adopted by most shippers.
“Jean-Louis was major figure in the liner shipping arena, often out-spoken, always considerate of all positions in the arguments and issues which were put to him and shippers in general, and always a gentleman,” the European Shippers Council said, in a statement.

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The Life Story of Jean Louis Cambon

“He quickly became widely respected in liner shipping circles, his opinion and insights following a long carrier with shipping lines and then with Michelin were always keenly sought-after by all sides of the industry, and not least by the ESC itself.”
He was also outspoken against the liner shipping conference system. The ESC also credited him with establishing an initiative to study a “green box” strategy, a way to minimize multi-party container handoffs. “He was keenly developing multimodal options for his company, shifting as many containers off the road onto inland waterways and rail as was possible, and he shared with others his experiences with this strategy,” ESC said. “He was also very keen to ensure the shippers’ voice was heard on the growing problem of piracy, urging governments to stand-by shipping to protect it and allow trade to flow unhindered.”
CURRICULUM VITAE
Mr. Jean-Louis Cambon
Born April 4th 1952
Aurillac, France
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Imprtant Milestones in the Life of Jean Louis Cambon

EDUCATION
1996:
Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, Executive Program in Strategy and Organization.
1975:
Graduated from Institut Supérieur d’Interprétariat et de Traduction (ISIT), Paris in English and Spanish.
1971:
Baccalauréat, Aurillac, France.

CAREER
1975-76:
Military service as an Officer in the French Navy aboard the helicopter cruiser Jeanne d’Arc. Aide de camp to the commanding officer and English teacher to the cadets. Toured the world during these two years on the Jeanne d’Arc and discovered Asia, North America, Latin America, etc.
1977-1981:
Pricing and Conference Manager, Compagnie Générale Maritime, Paris. Implementing company’s pricing policy within US-Canada/Europe freight conferences.
1982-1985:
Owner’s Representative, CGM French Line, New York. Developing a container service between the US East Coast and the Mediterranean.
1986-1987:
General Agent, CGM/ScanDutch, Paris.
Implementing the consortium’s commercial, operational and financial policies on the French territory.
1988-1991:
Marketing Research Manager, ScanDutch I/S, Copenhagen. Creating and implementing a service-wide Marketing Plan concept based on contribution to fixed costs. Monitoring of market shares and profitability for each trading area as well as customer portfolio performances.
1991-1993:
Marketing/Sales Manager,Compagnie Générale Maritime (Asia), Singapore.
Definition and implementation of the marketing and sales strategy, as well as pricing policy for the Westbound service from Asia to Europe, operated within the TSA consortium. Accountability for the commercial performances of the Asia network, both outbound and inbound.
1994-1997:
Trade Director, Asia-Europe, OOCL (Europe) Ltd, London. Direct accountability for a turnover of USD 325 million, reporting directly to the Chairman of OOCL (Europe) Ltd. Definition and implementation of the liner strategy, commercial and pricing policy for the liner services between Asia and Europe, operated within the ACE and Global Alliance consortia.
1998-2000:
Managing Director, OOCL (Scan-Baltic) A/S, Copenhagen. Regional accountability for the development and branding of OOCL’s activities in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic states through a Joint Venture Agreement with a local agency organisation, supported by the launching of a dedicated feeder operation (90,000 teus/year).
2000-2001: Project Manager, Ocean Freight (Michelin Asia Pacific Pte Ltd), Singapore. Definition and implementation of a centralized freight purchasing strategy for finished products manufactured in Asia.
2002-2012:
Head, Michelin Ocean Management Committee, Paris. Accountability for defining and implementing the ocean freight purchasing strategy for the Group, covering a total of 180,000 teus/year (and a spend level of USD 200 million) of raw materials and finished products over North/South and East/West shipping lanes. Managing a network of 10 buyers located in Europe, Asia, North America and direct accountability for the purchasing of European inbound/outbound freight.
Industry Positions
President of the Maritime Council of the European Shipper’s Council (since 2010)
Active Member of AUTF
Member of the Supervisory Board of the Port Authority of Le Havre (since 2008)
Member of the Corporate Network of the Maritime MBA, Euromed Marseille (since 2008).
Chairman of the Eastbound Management Agreement (EMA), a branch of the Far Eastern Freight Conference (FEFC) in 1995/1996, London.
Lecturer at the Cambridge Academy of Transport on “Anatomy of Container Shipping” in 1995 ,1996 and 2008.
Chairman of the Vietnam Conference Committee, a local committee of the Far Eastern Freight Conference (FEFC), in 1992/1993, Singapore.
Secretary of the Conference des Charentes, a branch of the Far Eastern Freight Conference (FEFC) in 1986/1987, Paris.

The Institute prepares for each Hall of Fame induction by meticulously researching the career of each laureate and with the help of the candidate set about identifying key people with whom they have shared their career journey.The names and biographies of each of the attendees is published in an aide-mémoire a copy of which can be read below.

BRUSSELS APRIL 2013

JEAN-LOUIS CAMBON INDUCTED INTO THE INSTITUTE’S ‘HALL OF FAME

Jean Louis Cambon

Mr. Cambon was a forceful voice for shippers, constantly championing the issues faced by the shipper industry through his work at the French Shippers’ Council (AUTF) and, later, his Chairmanship of the European Shippers Council’s (ESC) Maritime Transport Council.
“Mr. Cambon made many important contributions to the global maritime industry, but it will be his work as Chair of the Maritime Transport Council at the European Shippers Council that he will be most remembered for. He was exactly what the industry needed to help to navigate the central but sometimes challenging relationship between cargo owner and shipping line.”

JOACHIM COENS CHAIRMAN OF THE GIL IN EUROPE

ABOUT GIL HALL OF FAME
The Global Institute of Logistics Hall of Fame serves as a way to recognize distinguished members of the Global logistics community. Those elected to membership in to the Hall of Fame represent the highest achievement in their field, serving as models of what can be achieved and how. Induction as a Laureate into the Global Institute of Logistics Hall of Fame is a lifetime achievement award for individuals who have made a major, positive impact on the logistics profession as visionary business leaders with a strong commitment to the community. The Global Institute of Logistics Hall of Fame Laureates will serve as inspirations to current and future generations.
Each year the Institute invites the Executive Directors of its various councils and chapters globally to nominate individuals for induction into the Institutes Hall of Fame. These nominations feed discussions about what constitutes excellence and success in individual logisticians. The goal is to improve logistics practice by identifying the outstanding logistician in the field over the course of a lifetime. Nominations are acted on by a panel of expert judges, who decide which nominee will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.