After eight years with the company, Jonathan Whitworth, CEO of Seaspan ULC, will be retiring at the end of 2017.
The company's board of directors announced that effective April 3, Whitworth will be succeeded by Frank Butzelaar, who currently serves as president and CEO of Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY Rail Link): a Lower Mainland regional railroad that owns more than 200 kilometres of track, and manages over 73,000 carloads annually. Like Seaspan, the SRY Rail Link is part of The Washington Companies, owned by the Washington family.
Butzelaar's transition to his new role will begin March 3. He will continue to work with Whitworth throughout 2017 to ease the leadership handover. Brian Carter, president of Seaspan Shipyards, will report to Whitworth until year-end, and will report directly to the company's board of directors thereafter.
Over the past eight years under Whitworth's leadership, Seaspan has invested half a billion dollars in new capital across its businesses, and acquired four marine companies. In 2011, the company won an $8-billion contract to build non-combat vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy under the country's National Shipbuilding Strategy.
In a company release, Whitworth expressed that announcing his retirement comes with mixed emotions, but that it's in pursuit of a long-term goal to retire while healthy, and capable of enjoying family, hobbies and new adventures in the years ahead.
