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Bek Succeeds Thomsen as Blue Water CEO

[ August 15, 2025   //   Gary Burrows ]

Thomas Bek, a 29-year veteran of Blue Water, is succeeding CEO Søren Nørgaard Thomsen, who is leaving the transport and logistics group after seven years.

There has been significant development at the Danish transport and logistics group since 2018, when Thomsen took over as CEO, Blue Water said in a release. Turnover has nearly doubled, earnings have increased, and the number of employees and offices has increased to 2,700.

Bek will lead the group through a new strategy and reorganization, which is expected to help the Esbjerg-based company’s further assent in the global transport and logistics market.

While thanking Thomsen for his effort, Chairman Jørgen Wisborg said the executive board has “assessed that there is a need for a different profile to execute on the new strategy.”

Bek has served the last three years as COO of Blue Water’s energy, ports and project division. He began his career with the company as a freight forwarder trainee 29 years ago and worked his way up through the ranks.

Strategically, Blue Water said its focus is on three areas: employees, customers and the bottom line.

“Blue Water is on a solid foundation,” Bek said. “Of course, we are in turbulent times, where markets and the supply chain are affected by unpredictable political and eco-nomic conditions – so, as always, we are ready to act and react in both the short and long term.”

DHL’s Foley Named SVP, Projects

Two weeks prior to Bek’s announcement, Blue Water said Ryan Foley is joining as senior vice president of the carrier’s expanding projects division, effective Jan. 1.

With extensive experience in complex industrial logistics and project forwarding, Ryan will play a crucial role in Blue Water’s expanding global projects division.

He joins Blue Water from DHL Global Forwarding, where he was CEO of Industrial Projects. There he oversaw major turnkey projects and the development of energy-sector logistics infrastructure worldwide.

In his new role, Ryan will be responsible for developing and executing Blue Water’s global project logistics strategy across sectors, including energy, infrastructure, mining and industrial projects development while aligning regional project teams to ensure excellence and consistency in collaboration with the existing management team of the energy, port and projects division at Blue Water.

Ryan will be based in London, coordinating with Blue Water’s global hubs in Europe, Oceania, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East/Africa.

Tags: Blue Water, DHL Global Forwarding - Industrial Products