Nothing is sacred when Maersk reexamines its strategy on how to best lead the historical conglomerate into the future, says Søren Skou, speaking to the Financial Times in his first interview since he replaced Nils Smedegaard Andersen as CEO for the group.

51-year-old Skou was appointed new Group CEO at the end of June after Nils Smedegaard Andersen was dismissed following nine years as chief executive. Now, Skou has been given the clear mandate of finding a new way forward for the Maersk  Group, which is under pressure from the downturn in its two core areas: shipping and oil.

He continues in his current position as CEO of container shipping carrier Maersk Line. Meanwhile, Chairman Michael Pram Rasmussen has also hinted that the role of Group CEO may lapse, thus indicating that the group could be split up.

Revenue must grow

Several analysts have speculated that the group will be banking more on shipping, while the hard-pressured Maersk Oil, which has just lost out on an important contract in Qatar, could be sold off. However, Skou declines to comment on this matter to the Financial Times.

Instead, he points to the fact that the group will now become better at delivering returns to investors. The problems in shipping and oil are cyclical issues, which the company must be able to handle. Therefore Skou wants to focus on revenue growth. 

Søren Skou is the Maersk Group's new super CEO 

"In the long term, we are challenged on top-line growth. Obviously, for us it’s important that we have a group that is both profitable but also has a growth path. If you have a business that isn't growing the top line, it’s very hard to deliver attractive returns to shareholders," says Søren Skou to the Financial Times.

One must not become arrogant

The new CEO has been at Maersk since 1983, and was formerly CEO of Maersk Tankers. Since 2012 he has headed Maersk Line, the group's container carrier, a job which he will maintain concurrently with his new role leading the entire conglomerate.

He explains to Danish daily Berlingske Business that he has learned a lot from his time with the Maersk Group, and not least from Mærsk McKinney Møller.

"Mærsk McKinney Møller taught me that you have to continue being curious. He maintained that one cannot become too arrogant, and with that I think that he believed that one should never be complacent and delude themselves into thinking that they were the world's best. One must be curious, and for example, question whether competitors approached things differently," he said to the newspaper.

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