(based on the Undocked interview with Bjørn Højgaard, CEO of Anglo-Eastern Ship Management)
In an era where the maritime industry is being reshaped by digitalization and global connectivity, Bjørn Højgaard believes the most profound change isn’t happening on the bridge or in the data center; it’s happening in how leaders think.
The Anglo-Eastern CEO sat down with Raal Harris and Nick Chubb on the Undocked: The Maritime Transformation Show podcast during London International Shipping Week to talk about leadership, culture, and the future of connected shipping. Across their wide-ranging conversation, two themes stood out: balance in leadership and how technology is redefining connection at sea.
Leadership is About Balance
Højgaard’s views on leadership are anchored in what he calls holding two opposing thoughts at once. “You have to balance your sense of urgency, jumping at the opportunity, but sometimes slowing down, learning, and absorbing before you move,” he said. “That’s one of the learnings in my life.”
It’s an insight he earned through experience. When Højgaard led the merger of Univan and Anglo-Eastern, a deal that created one of the world’s largest ship management firms, he admitted that early confidence met a humbling reality. “Going into it, I was convinced, at least 90% sure that it was going to be a success,” he recalled. “Looking back, I should have given it a 10% chance of success. It did work, and that’s the beauty of it. Sometimes, if I’d known what I know today, I probably wouldn’t have done it. But then it wouldn’t have succeeded.”
For Højgaard, the experience reinforced that leadership requires knowing when to move fast and when to slow down. “Sometimes you have to slow down. Absorb the culture, the loyalty, and the stories, and learn about the company you’ve merged with before you start trying to take it in a direction,” he said.
That patience, however, doesn’t mean inaction. He believes leaders need both confidence and humility, and that finding that equilibrium is the real challenge. “Confidence is indispensable in leadership,” he explained. “You’ve got to be able to have that confidence in a future that others perhaps can’t see and rally the troops around it. But at the same time, it’s important not to get caught up in yourself and risk that confidence tilting into arrogance.”
He describes true leadership as an act of stewardship, not control. “You’re not trying to bend the organization to your own mission,” he said. “You’re here to serve another mission, to bring something that is bigger than yourself forward.”
Connectivity is Transforming the Meaning of Leadership
When the conversation turned to technology, Højgaard spoke with conviction about how digital transformation, particularly through low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, is redefining what it means to lead at sea.
“I very early on recognized that these low Earth orbiting satellites would be a game changer,” he said. “This communication technology will really change what ships are and how we operate and engage with them and the people on board.”
For decades, seafarers worked in isolation, separated by vast distances from shore offices. That isolation shaped maritime leadership: self-reliant, hierarchical, and command-driven.
But with ships now connected in real time, Højgaard sees a new kind of leadership emerging: one that values collaboration, communication, and shared responsibility.
“Ships are moving away from being self-contained places where people are really autonomously independent, to much more like another office,” he explained. “Every person on board will have the same communication abilities as anyone ashore. That changes everything.”
Yet he cautions against mistaking connectivity for control. “We can remote-control a lot of things,” he said. “But the decision-making and the authority to make decisions on the spot—you have to make sure we don’t take that away from the ships.”
That belief reflects his broader philosophy: leadership in a connected world is not about commanding more, but trusting more. “If you are center stage and the spotlight is on you, there is no space for anybody else,” he said. “You have to move out of that and invite others in.”
This shift toward empowered leadership also extends to Anglo-Eastern’s approach to culture. With nearly 40,000 seafarers and over 750 ships, building a unified ethos across oceans takes intentional effort. “Culture isn’t what you put on a poster,” Højgaard said. “It’s the worst behaviors your leaders and managers are tolerating—that’s what becomes your culture.”
A New Type of Maritime Leader
At its core, Højgaard’s message is that maritime leadership in the digital age demands both self-awareness and trust. Technology may be changing the tools of the trade, but human judgment, humility, and discipline remain irreplaceable.
“The sum of everybody’s worry is constant,” he reflected near the end of the conversation. “So why not choose to worry about the bigger things?”
In a world where ships are no longer isolated and leaders are no longer expected to have all the answers, Bjørn Højgaard represents a new kind of maritime leader: one who steers not just by data and systems, but by balance, trust, and a deep respect for the people who make the industry move.
