Halifax Port Authority Names Capt. Allan Gray as President and CEO

The Board of the Halifax Port Authority (HPA) has chosen Captain Allan Gray (left) as its new president and CEO. He will be concluding his tenure as harbor master and general manager at Fremantle Ports in Perth, Australia and joining the Halifax Port Authority in late November, 2019.

“Captain Gray’s extensive experience in leading a large port with similar priorities and economic impact as our own, from container and bulk shipping to cruise and infrastructure expansion projects, will serve the growing Port of Halifax’s needs well,” said HPA board chair Hector Jacques. “Our new CEO brings great depth and breadth of experience, and relationships in maritime transportation, shipping and cruise which will allow the Port of Halifax to continue to play an important role in growing Canada’s international trade."

The board’s search committee worked with Boyden, a Vancouver-based international talent recruitment firm with a depth of experience in the port and marine sectors.

“I am excited to be joining the Port of Halifax, which is well-recognized around the world for being well-run and highly competitive,” says Captain Gray, “I look forward to working with the board, staff, Port partners and the community to support the development, alignment and implementation of the port’s vision and strategy to grow as Canada’s 'Ultra Atlantic Gateway.'”

“The Port of Halifax is now well-positioned for significant future growth. I want to thank CEO Karen Oldfield and her team at HPA for their efforts to ensure our port becomes Canada’s east coast entry point for ultra-class container vessels as well as their continued success in growing the cruise business for Halifax and all of Atlantic Canada. We welcome and look forward to Allan Gray continuing to build on this positive momentum,” said Jacques. 

Captain Gray joined Fremantle Ports in July 2006 as deputy harbor master / manager marine and port operations, and he was appointed harbor master in September 2008. In addition to this statutory function, he was appointed general manager of port operations in July 2009. 

Prior to coming ashore, Captain Gray’s career at sea spanned over 20 years. During the first half of this period, he traded on ro/ros, container ships and bulkers, then spent the final ten years on LPG tankers with Bergesens of Norway. Trading patterns included Japan/Far East, Europe, Africa, South America and the United States.

On coming ashore with AMSA and Maritime Safety Queensland, he was involved in the management of marine incidents and as manager of vessel traffic management at VTS Mackay/Haypoint and Reefcentre. During this time, Captain Gray diversified into systems development and management with extensive experience in the operation of dynamic under keel clearance, berth warning systems, ship movement displays and real-time geographic information systems. 

In 2004 Captain Gray was recruited by Perkins Shipping in Darwin to come in as marine manager. In this senior management position, he was responsible for the management of the marine sector of Perkins Shipping, which included operational management of shipping movements (including scheduling) and systems development, including safety management systems, training and project management.