1940
The family partnership
Between 1914 and 2013 a very special Danish legal construction formed the core of the leadership of the A.P. Moller Group and the year 1940 represents a significant evolution within this construction.
In Denmark, laws and traditions prescribed that a shipping company should have a so-called Managing Owner. In most cases, this would be a company which formed the legal representative of the ship owning company and thereby manage the daily running of shipping activities.
The Firm A.P. Moller
In 1914 the legal entity Firmaet A.P. Møller (the firm A.P. Moller) was established by the newly self-employed A.P. Møller. The firm A.P. Moller had chartering and brokerage activities and was the management of the Steamship Company Svendborg (est. 1904) and the Steamship Company of 1912.
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller joined his father’s company in 1938 and just two years later, the implications of the Second World War changed the course of the A.P. Moller shipping companies.
Second World War
Denmark was occupied in April 1940; 36 of 46 Maersk vessels were outside Danish waters and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller traveled to the office in New York to manage the fleet from there.
To facilitate this, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was made partner in the firm A.P. Moller and given the necessary power of attorney to make decisions on behalf of the company. A.P. Møller and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller remained sole partners until 1959 where A.P. Møller’s nephew Georg Andersen joined.
From 1965
When A.P. Møller died, the firm A.P. Moller became the Managing Owner of not only the shipping companies, but also the Group’s growing activities in energy and offshore, manufacturing, air services, IT and retail. From 1974, Senior Executives in the company were taken on as Partners; thus, safeguarding the long-term stability of the company. The founding family invited professionals from outside the family to invest their personal responsibility in the future of the enterprise.
Including A.P. Møller and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, a total of 22 persons have been Partners in the firm A.P. Moller. The Managing Owner legal construction persevered until 2013 when A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S introduced a two-tier management structure consisting of the Board of Directors and the Management Board.
1886
Five generations of the Mærsk family
Based on more than 20 years of experience as a captain on sailing ships, Peter Mærsk Møller acquired the small steamer ‘Laura’ and took the family company from sail to steam.
1904
The Mærsk family companies
A.P. Møller, strongly supported by his father, captain Peter Mærsk Møller, established the Steamship Company Svendborg, the forerunner of today’s A.P. Moller – Maersk.
1912
The calculated risk – starting a business
A.P. Møller founded the Steamship Company of 1912. The objective was to create a base for growth.
1913
Growth and consolidation
A.P. Møller set up a small office to act as the manager of the fleets of the Svendborg and 1912 companies. The first transactions in brokerage of ships and cargoes took place.
1928
A.P. Møller was asked by the Danish government to take up the presidency of Danske Bank
He remained the Chair until 1952, taking the bank from public to private ownership. During this time, A.P. Møller and the shipping companies invested in the bank.
1940
The family partnership
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller became a partner in “Firmaet A.P. Møller”.
1953
The A.P. Moller Foundation as an owner
The A.P. Moller Foundation was established to ensure a long-term, stable ownership structure of the Maersk activities. A.P. Møller was the Chair, and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was a board member.
1962
Into energy - for the greater good
A.P. Møller, together with the Steamship Company Svendborg and the Steamship Company of 1912, was awarded the concession for exploration and extraction of raw materials in the Danish underground.
1965
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller became senior partner and Chair of the Svendborg and 1912 companies, the shipyard, other companies and the foundations after his father, A.P. Møller’s death on 12 June 1965.
1970
A strategy for the A.P. Moller Group
The direction for the next 45 years of expansion was laid in a strategy for The A.P. Moller Group.
1986
Engagement over time – the family in the Foundations
Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla became a member of the board of the A.P. Moller Foundation, today’s owner of A.P. Moller Holding.
1993
After 28 years at the helm of the Group, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller stepped down from daily management.
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller remained Chair of the Foundations, the Svendborg and 1912 companies and the Odense Steel Shipyard.
2003
The origin of the Core Values
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller retired from most presidencies in the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla became the Co-chair of A.P. Moller – Maersk. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller introduced the five Core Values, based on his father’s leadership principles.
2012
Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla
Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla became the Chair of the A.P. Moller Foundation when Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller died on 16 April 2012.
2013
A.P. Moller Holding was established to act as the investment arm of the A.P. Moller Foundation
The majority ownership of A.P. Moller – Maersk was transferred to A.P. Moller Holding from the A.P. Moller Foundation. Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla became the Chair of A.P. Moller Holding.
2015
A.P. Moller Holding
Adding to its 2.98% holding, A.P. Moller Holding acquired 15% of Danske Bank’s total share capital as part of A.P. Moller – Maersk’s divestment of the same. Following the 15% acquisition, A.P. Moller Holding bought an extra 2.02% to fulfill the ambition of a total ownership of 20%.
2016
Robert M. Uggla
Robert M. Uggla became the CEO of A.P. Moller Holding. A.P. Moller – Maersk was restructured into two independent divisions; an integrated Transport & Logistics division and an Energy division.
2017
The Africa Infrastructure Fund
The Africa Infrastructure Fund was established by A.P. Moller Capital, which was founded to manage stand-alone funds focusing on infrastructure in emerging markets. Maersk Tankers was acquired by A.P. Moller Holding from A.P. Moller – Maersk.
2018
Maersk Oil
Maersk Oil was divested from A.P. Moller – Maersk to Total S.A.
2019
Maersk Drilling
At the public listing of Maersk Drilling, A.P. Moller Holding retained a 41.26% share of the company. A.P. Moller Holding acquired KK Group.