Today, the Freeport of Riga Board has approved Regulations of the Freeport of Riga CEO position candidate selection and evaluation competition, which include both requirements for applicants, evaluation criteria and decision-making procedures. The Freeport of Riga Board ruled that the public competition for the CEO position will be launched this year on April 21 and applicants will be able to submit their applications until May 22, the company said in its press release.
In accordance with the approved Regulations, the competition will be organized in three rounds – during the first round assessment of the applicant's compliance with the general criteria will be checked, the second round will focus on the applicant's specific, industry-related knowledge and skills, while on-site interviews of applicants will take place during the third round. Evaluation of applicants will be carried out by the Freeport CEO position candidate Selection Commission, the most appropriate candidates will be presented to the Freeport of Riga Board for further decision.
The regulations provide that an applicant should have higher academic or second level vocational training in management, finance, economics or engineering, while education, related to the transport sector (port management, transport and logistics) or to maritime activities (navigation, ship steering) would be an advantage. A minimum of 5 years of professional top managerial experience in large-scale capital companies or public institutions or organizations is also required. High standards of language skills were set for an applicant - the highest level of the national language skills, and at least English and Russian language skills.
With regard to the applicant's specific, industry-related skills and knowledge, a deep understanding of the port operation and normative acts, experience in strategic development management, financial and planning issues, as well as experience in international cooperation are required - the applicant will have to justify all the competences in writing. Besides, an applicant shall boast an excellent reputation.
At the same time the Freeport Board decided to review the Freeport CEO remuneration. The competitiveness of the FPR CEO remuneration is an essential precondition for suitable candidate choice, given the extensive range of the work, the port size, number of employees and contribution to the national economy, as it was mentioned in the report, which had been previously submitted to the Freeport of Riga Board by the Freeport CEO position candidate Selection Commission. In accordance with the Board decision, it will be comparable to the Ventspils Free Port CEO remuneration.
The Freeport of Riga is the largest port in Latvia. In 2016 cargo turnover volume amounted to 37 million tons. The Freeport of Riga is a multi-functional port with a modern and secure infrastructure, where high quality services are provided by 194 private enterprises operating at the port, including 35 stevedoring companies (cargo handling terminals).
The Freeport of Riga Authority (FPRA) manages the port, and is responsible for the maintenance of the port infrastructure, for the port security, as well as for the port land and infrastructure leasing to private enterprises. The FPRA is not engaged in commercial activities at the port. Its revenues consist of port dues, collected from the vessels, as well as of land and berth rent fees. The FPRA operates in compliance with the principles of non-profit organizations - its financial resources are spent only for the port management and development.