Seatrade-Maritime: Zim president and CEO Glickman announces departure

Zim announced that its president and CEO Eli Glickman informed the board of directors on 15 April that he had decided to leave the company. Glickman will continue to serve as CEO throughout his six-month notice period and the board will begin searching for his successor, the company said in an SEC filing.

The announcement follows a busy year for the CEO and the shipping line. Last month, Glickman sold Zim shares worth a total of around $40m, with other senior Zim management also offloading stakes in the company. The shares sold were all below the $35 offered under Hapag-Lloyd’s proposed buyout of Zim, which came after a period of market rumours.

The German line announced in February its plans to acquire 100% of the shares in New York-listed Zim in a $4.2bn deal structured to appease interests in Israel. The deal would create a new shipping line to hold Zim’s brand, 16 ships serving Israeli routes, and the Israeli government’s golden share in the company — Hapag-Lloyd would acquire the rest, including charters for 99 vessels. 

Zim has scheduled a special general meeting on 30 April when shareholders will vote on the merger proposal. 

The Hapag-Lloyd offer is the first firm development after a prolonged period of speculation over the line’s future ownership, including a privatisation bid in August 2025 led by Glickman and Ray Shpping chairman Abraham Ungar. The failed buyout eventually led to the appointment in December 2025 of two new board members to appease a group of dissident shareholders concerned about a management-led buyout of the company.