(NEWS) WMU Alumnus Appointed IMO Director

November

2020

WMU Alumnus Appointed IMO Director

World Maritime University (WMU) Alumnus, Mr. Zhang Xiaojie from the People’s Republic of China, has been appointed Director of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Technical Cooperation Division (TCD).

Mr. Zhang graduated from WMU in 1999 with an MSc in Maritime Affairs, specializing in Maritime Safety and Environmental Protection (Administration). His WMU studies were funded by The Nippon Foundation of Japan. Mr. Zhang has held a succession of posts in the Government of China since 1987. Within China’s Ministry of Transport, he has served as Director of International Organizations and Multilateral Affairs, as well as Director of Bilateral and Regional Cooperation, both within the Department of International Cooperation. Since 2012 he has served as Deputy Director-General for the Department of International Cooperation within China’s Ministry of Transport, and as Chair of IMO Council since 2017.

With a breadth of international experience, he has supervised bilateral and regional cooperation activities between China and European, Central Asian, Latin American and African countries in the field of road and waterborne transport, as well as China's participation in transport-related international organizations and other multilateral cooperation activities. Since 2015, he has headed the Chinese delegation to IMO Council and the Marine Environment Protection Committee and at the International Labour Organization during a six year period that led to the adoption of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 as amended.

At the 2020 WMU Graduation Ceremony, Mr. Zhang received an Outstanding Alumnus award in recognition of his long and distinguished service to the international maritime community. He has served as a member of the WMU Board of Governors and Executive Board since February 2018, and will continue to serve on those governing bodies as an ex-officio member within his new role as IMO’s Director of TCD.

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Maritime Governance: Contextual Factors affecting Implementation of IMO Instruments

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