In this episode of Kev Talks: Real World Global Logistics, hosts Kevin Parkerson and Kevin Higgins sit down with Stuart Sandlin, President of Hapag-Lloyd North America and member of the company’s Global Executive Committee. With more than two decades of leadership across sales, operations, and executive management, Stuart offers a candid look at the realities and future of global container shipping.

He shares his unexpected journey into logistics—from 3PL operations to the executive suite—and how mentors, adaptability, and a people-first mindset shaped his career. Stuart reflects on the industry’s close-knit global community and how uncertainty has become the defining theme of today’s supply chains, reshaping customer expectations and decision-making.

The conversation explores the shift from transactional procurement to long-term partnerships built on true value creation and cost removal across the supply chain. Stuart explains how classifying customers as price seekers, value seekers, or quality seekers helps Hapag-Lloyd nurture sustainable relationships, while also highlighting how AI and predictive analytics are already transforming response times, container flows, and decision-making.

Looking ahead to 2030, Stuart discusses diverging carrier strategies, the renewed importance of relationships, and one of the industry’s biggest strategic moves: the new Gemini cooperation between Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk—a development set to shape terminal integration, technology, and global networks for years to come.

Packed with personal reflections and forward-looking insights, this episode offers a rare insider’s perspective on moving beyond transactions toward a future defined by collaboration, innovation, and resilience.

https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/en/home.html

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