Port of Halifax Board announces new President and CEO

August 22, 2019, Halifax, NS – The Board of the Halifax Port Authority (HPA) has chosen its new President and CEO: Captain Allan Gray will be concluding his tenure as Harbour Master and General Manager – Operations of Fremantle Ports in Perth, Australia, and joining the Halifax Port Authority as President and CEO in late November, 2019.

“Captain Gray’s extensive experience in leading a large port with similar priorities and economic impact as our own, from container and bulk shipping to cruise and infrastructure expansion projects, will serve the growing Port of Halifax’s needs well,” says Board Chair Hector Jacques.

“Our new CEO brings great depth and breadth of experience, and relationships in maritime transportation, shipping and cruise which will allow the Port of Halifax to continue to play an important role in growing Canada’s international trade,” says Mr. Jacques

The Board’s search committee worked with Boyden, a Vancouver-based international talent recruitment firm with a depth of experience in the port and marine sectors.

“I am excited to be joining the Port of Halifax, which is well-recognized around the world for being well-run and highly competitive,” says Captain Gray, “I look forward to working with the board, staff, Port partners and the community to support the development, alignment and implementation of the Port’s vision and strategy to grow as Canada’s Ultra Atlantic Gateway.”

Captain Gray plans to attend the annual Port Days events in Halifax on September 18-19 where he will be introduced to the port community.

“The Port of Halifax is now well-positioned for significant future growth. I want to thank CEO Karen Oldfield and her team at HPA for their efforts to ensure our port becomes Canada’s east coast entry point for ultra-class container vessels as well as their continued success in growing the cruise business for Halifax and all of Atlantic Canada. We welcome and look forward to Allan Gray continuing to build on this positive momentum as he assumes the position of President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority in late 2019,” says Mr. Jacques.

We will be recognizing Karen’s important contributions to the port in the coming months as she assists the board, staff and our stakeholders to prepare for our leadership transition,” says Mr. Jacques.

Captain Allan Gray
General Manager, Freemantle Ports

Captain Gray joined Fremantle Ports in July 2006 as Deputy Harbour Master / Manager Marine and Port Operations and was appointed Harbour Master in September 2008, and in addition to this statutory function was appointed General Manager Port Operations in July 2009 including commercial operations and management of the Ports Bulk Business. Captain Gray was the Federal Master (Board Chairman) for the Company of Master Mariners Australia from 2009-2013 and was awarded life membership for his contribution to raising the profile of the Company. Captain Gray is currently the President of the International Harbour Masters Association.

Prior to coming ashore, Captain Gray’s career at sea spanned over 20 years. During this period, he traded on various vessels from RO-RO, container and Bulk through to the last 10 years which were spent on LPG Tankers with Bergesens of Norway. Trading patterns included Japan/Far East, Europe, Africa, South America and the United States.

On coming ashore with AMSA and Maritime Safety Queensland he was involved in the management of marine incidents and as Manager Vessel Traffic Management at VTS Mackay/Haypoint and Reefcentre. During this time, Captain Gray diversified into Systems development and management with extensive experience in the operation of Dynamic Under Keel Clearance, Berth Warning Systems, Ship movement displays and Real time Geographic information Systems.

In 2004 Captain Gray was headhunted by Perkins Shipping in Darwin to come in as Marine Manager. This position was a Senior Management Position responsible for the management of the Marine sector of Perkins Shipping, which included Operational Management of shipping movements (including scheduling), systems development including safety management systems, training and project management. The position provided marine Technical advice to the executive team.