The following is an announcement on Wednesday (25 May) by United Shipping and Trading Company (USTC), parent of Bunker Holding, on Nina Østergaard Borris taking over the family-owned business as CEO from her father Torben Østergaard-Nielsen. 

• Nina Østergaard Borris, co-owner and current COO of United Shipping and Trading Company (USTC), takes on new responsibilities in the family-owned business as CEO, succeeding her father Torben Østergaard-Nielsen who will take over as Chairman of the Board of Directors for USTC. 
• Mia Østergaard Rechnitzer, current Head of Corporate Governance, will assume the position of Chief Governance Officer, stepping into USTC Executive Management.  

Family-owned United Shipping and Trading Company (USTC), which is owned and operated by Torben Østergaard-Nielsen and his two daughters, Nina Østergaard Borris and Mia Østergaard Rechnitzer, has announced that Nina Østergaard Borris will assume the role as the new CEO of USTC taking over after her father and USTC’s founder.  

Torben Østergaard-Nielsen will remain actively involved as the new working Chairman of the Board of Directors for USTC, and he will focus his efforts on setting the strategic directions for the company going forward.  

“It is exciting and very satisfying to take this next step in the generational succession and to hand over the responsibility of the daily operations of USTC to Nina,” says Torben Østergaard-Nielsen.  

“She has really excelled in her role as COO of USTC and has proven over a number of years that she has both the competences and the experience to grow USTC while safeguarding the solid foundation that USTC is built on.”

Mia Østergaard Rechnitzer was appointed Head of Corporate Governance in September 2021 as a long-planned next step in the development of the family business. 

Mia will subsequently move into a role as Chief Governance officer stepping into USTC Executive Management. She will focus on developing and elevating ESG initiatives for USTC and its entities.  

The change of leadership will become effective with the expressed goal of carrying on the family legacy of the company adhering to the guiding tenets of Torben Østergaard-Nielsen: Leadership, decency, and business acumen.  

“Together, Nina and Mia will carry on developing the organisation while ensuring that the family values will continue to permeate the company. As founder and co-owner and in my new role as working Chairman of the Board of USTC,” says Torben Østergaard-Nielsen.   

“I will remain close to the business and stay very active in owner-related decisions surrounding USTC. I will continue to do so in close collaboration with both Nina and Mia and the leadership in all USTC companies.”

“I have no plans to retire or reduce my workload, and I will instead focus my efforts on canvassing new business opportunities and setting the strategic direction for USTC.”

Continuing the family legacy  

 Since early 2020, Nina Østergaard Borris has held the position of COO at USTC and has for the past years focused efforts on implementing synergies by bringing the USTC business units closer together. 

As a result of an ambitious growth strategy and multiple acquisitions delivered by Nina Østergaard Borris, USTC and its subsidiaries have grown significantly in both people and numbers over the last years. 

As newly appointed CEO, Nina Østergaard Borris will continue to evolve USTC while ensuring a strong footprint in the group and across all group entities in line with the owner family’s long-term values and ambitions.  

“It is with great pride but also humility that I will take over from my father. I am very much aware that I have a heavy legacy to lift and the responsibility this entails, and I am grateful for the opportunity and trust being passed onto me,” says Nina Østergaard Borris.  

“My vision for the company is clear and strong, and I am thankful to have the support of my father, my sister, and the Board of Directors. I am especially excited to continue growing and strengthening the group and to work closely with my sister Mia in driving forward the ESG agenda for USTC.”

“I am extremely pleased that Nina will assume the role as CEO of USTC. Not only is she fully capable of taking on her new responsibilities, but her new role also means that USTC operations will remain closely linked to the family ownership. Nina and I work extremely well together, and I really look forward to continuing to build on our joint vision for USTC,” says Mia Østergaard Rechnitzer.  

USTC Executive Management now consists of Nina Østergaard Borris as Group CEO, Mia Østergaard Rechnitzer as Group CGO, and Jakob Schultz Nielsen as Group CFO. 

Executive Management will report directly to working Chairman of the Board of Directors, Torben Østergaard-Nielsen.

Changes to the USTC Board of Directors  

Torben Østergaard-Nielsen’s appointment as working Chairman of the Board for USTC will result in additional changes to the Board.  

Klaus Nyborg, current Chairman of the Board of USTC, will assume the position of Vice Chairman of the Board for USTC. 

Klaus Nyborg will in addition step into the role as Chairman of the Board for USTC’s largest subsidiary Bunker Holding as well as the USTC’s tanker business Uni-Tankers.   

Torben Janholt has decided to step out as board member for USTC after many years of contributing to the growth and success of the company. 

Related: Bunker Holding Global Head of Commercial Operations departs for CM Biomass CFO position
Related: Bunker Holding posts third–highest results in its history, on the back of a ‘challenging year’
Related: USTC to appoint new Head of Corporate Governance; effective 1 September 2021
Related: USTC acquires BunkerEx to streamline digitalisation across its group

Photo credit: United Shipping and Trading Company
Published: 26 May, 2022