NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas has been elected as the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Vice President (2025-2027) for Asia-Southeast and Oceania.
Ms Calfas was officially appointed at the IAPH Annual General Meeting in Kobe last week following a vote of member ports conducted earlier this year.
Ms Calfas said she was honoured to be elected to represent the region’s ports and looked forward to working with local and global colleagues to collaborate on the industry’s priority issues and opportunities.
“The IAPH brings together ports globally to collaborate on key challenges and develop industry best practice. I feel privileged to have been elected by member ports to represent our region,” Ms Calfas said.
“Geographically we cover a large area, but we share a common objective to make our supply chains resilient, sustainable and productive.
“This is a great opportunity to contribute to the industry’s global policy priorities and ensure South East Asia and Oceania’s interests are represented at the table.”
IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven welcomed Ms Calfas’ election in an important region for the organisation.
“We are honoured to welcome Marika as our Vice-President for Southeast Asia and Oceania,” he said.
“I look forward to working closely with her to strengthen IAPH’s membership across the region and to ensure that our members’ voices are well represented within our global network and with key institutional partners such as the International Maritime Organization.”
Ports Australia CEO Mike Gallacher also congratulated Ms Calfas on behalf of the national industry body.
“It’s now more important than ever to strengthen our connections to the global port sector, so we’re pleased to see Australia play a leadership role with the IAPH,” Mr Gallacher said.
“Marika is a strong voice for our region, and we congratulate her on this significant appointment.”
Headquartered in Tokyo, IAPH is a non-government organisation which represents the interests of member ports globally, including through forums such as the International Maritime Organization, the World Customs Organization and the International Standards Organization.
It was formed in 1955 and currently represents 201 ports and 175 port-related businesses across 94 countries. The member ports together handle well over 60 percent of the world’s sea-borne trade and more than 60 percent of world container traffic.
IAPH has six regions globally: Africa; America, North; America, Central and South America; Asia, South West, East & Middle East; Asia-South East & Oceania; and Europe.
