Shipping with Ronald
HEJ SBC Member!
Who are you?
My name is Ronald Lichtenecker, and I was born and brought up in Stockholm. I inherited my Austrian family name from my father, who came to Stockholm in the early 1960s. I took my University degree in Stockholm, and then later added an MBA, and also my shipbroking exams. I met my wife Renata while living in Greece, and we got married in 1993. We have two grown up girls, Rene and Rebecka. The last member of the family is our dog Robyn, a Shih Tzu, that we got in Singapore.
GAC has been part of your life for quite a few number of years. What made you join this company?
GAC has been my life for over 30 years. I joined the GAC Athens office in August 1989. I worked for 2 years in the Group accounting and finance section, before I was moved to the Suez Canal operations. Those were hectic, but fun times. In the early 1990s I did around 20 trips to Egypt, to visit our offices there, and of course visiting ports and authorities in Alexandria, Port Said, and Port Suez. After Greece I moved to Abu Dhabi in 1995, and spent 11 years there. Both my daughters were born in Abu Dhabi, so we have a special family bond to this beautiful city. After Abu Dhabi, I was posted to Kuwait for 5 years, and then Singapore for 5 years, before transferring to Dubai in 2016.
Ronald Lichtenecker, 30 years with GAC
I was keen on trying out a job outside of Sweden, and GAC offered me a 2 years contract in Athens. I had already earlier accepted a job in South America, but quickly changed my plans to Greece. The GAC offer was for 2 years, while the South America job was for 1 year, so I guess that is what tilted it in favour of GAC.
I am nowadays in charge of GAC Dubai, which is the GAC Group’s largest operating company, with a headcount of 1,300 staff. The company was established back in 1967, and offers services in Contract Logistics, Warehousing, Shipping Agency and Freight Forwarding. Our flagship site is located in Jebel Ali Free zone, at gate no 4. This is also where my office is located.
The inauguration ceremony November 2018 was held under the patronage of His Excellency Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) & Dubai South, and attended by GAC Group President Bengt Ekstrand, GAC Group Vice President for the Middle East Fredrik Nyström, GAC Dubai Managing Director Ronald Lichtenecker, and Saadi Abdul Rahim Hassan Al Rais, Chairman of the Board for GAC Dubai, as well as partners and customers.
What are some of the highlights you have been part of at GAC?
As part of my induction in the 1990’s I did a Suez Canal transit, from Port Said to Suez, on a tug boat. There was no cabin for me, so I had to sit (and sleep) on a bench. A memory for life!
Shipping agents always get a chance to visit ships, so getting a tour of the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ , and also the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, were some good highlights.
The most recent project for me was of course the building and inauguration of our new warehouse at Dubai South (DWC). This 100 Million AED project kept me very busy during 2017 and 2018. It was an impressive project, and it was a relief once it was up and running.
You have worked in the UAE as well as Kuwait and Singapore. What would you recommend someone who’s newly graduated and would like to follow a similar professional career path as you?
If you are newly graduated , I think there are two ways: either go directly abroad or first spend about 7/8 years to build your career in your home country. Once you have this foundation in place, you could try and apply for jobs abroad.
I would also recommend to carefully research the companies you would like to join. If they are really international, with global operations, there should be a good chance for working in different countries.
Rene, Rebecka, Ronald, Renata and the dog Robyn
If you hadn’t chosen to take your career with GAC what do you think you had been doing today? Any dreams you have?
I think I would have followed a more traditional Swedish graduate path. I studied Economics, Finance and Accounting, so I would probably have been a few years in an accounting firm, and then maybe worked as a Finance Manager in a company in Stockholm.
My biggest dream these days is to get my golf handicap below 20! My wife and I try and spend some time each week at the golf course, since we really enjoy the game, and also the fresh air. And the fact that it is a great break from our daily office work. Another dream is to keep on traveling. I enjoy my trips, and have been fortunate to see the world with GAC. I have been to about 60 countries, but there is always a new place to discover, and a new trip to plan.
Thank you very much Ronald for sharing your story and we wish you all the best with the golf!
Ronald Lichtenecker: LinkedIn
Sneak Peak of GAC Dubai on SBCs website
GAC Dubai www.gac.com/dubai
Ronald Lichtenecker, Managing Director for GAC Dubai, accepted the Ship Agency of the Year accolade at The Maritime Standards 2019 ceremony