Members of the new 40-strong development board at the port of Marseilles Fos have elected ferry company boss Marc Reverchon as chairman.
Mr Reverchon, 56, was the port's director of development from 1989-95 before joining Marseilles-based Corsica and Sardinia operator Compagnie Meridionale de Navigation. He has been director-general of the company since 2001 after five years as deputy.
Trained as a civil engineer, Mr Reverchon has also been chairman of port users' association the Union Maritime et Fluviale de Marseille for the past eight years.
He became one of twelve port professionals on the development board in February under French government port reforms setting up a three-tier management structure to replace the administrative council, where he had been a member since September 2007.
The new structure includes a four-strong executive board, chaired by Jean-Claude Terrier, who came to the port from Dunkirk last September, who reports to a 17-member supervisory board headed by industrialist Patrick Daher.
Members of the development board also include representatives from local authorities, unions and other interested parties. Acting in a consultative role, they will be able to make recommendations on tariff policy, strategic projects and any other issues designated by the other boards.
Mr Reverchon stressed that the diversity and stature of development members should contribute openness and professionalism in achieving the port's ambitions, not only in world trade but also in the context of its natural, social and economic environment.
