Great Concordian: Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, a global leader in shipping and logistics

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and now at the helm of one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics companies, Rodolphe Saadé, BComm 94, LLD 23, exemplifies leadership, vision and global impact.

After earning his undergraduate business degree at Concordia, Saadé returned to Lebanon where he founded Dynamic Concept, a water cooler company.

He then joined CMA CGM, the shipping company founded by his father, Jacques Saadé, in 1978. From his early roles in New York and Hong Kong to leading the Group from its headquarters in Marseille, Rodolphe Saadé built extensive experience in global trade.

Rodolphe Saadé has been Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group since 2017.

Under his leadership, CMA CGM has solidified its position as the world’s third-largest shipping company, operating nearly 700 vessels.

He has strengthened the Group’s global presence by acquiring leading terminals in locations such as Nhava Sheva (India), Beirut, Alexandria (Egypt), Los Angeles, New York, Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi) and Santos (Brazil).

He also initiated the Group’s expansion into logistics, successfully turning around CEVA Logistics, which now ranks among the world’s top five logistics companies following the acquisition of Bolloré Logistics in 2024. In 2021, Saadé launched CMA CGM Air Cargo, a new commercial and operational division specializing in air freight to meet its customers express needs.

Beyond transport and logistics, Saadé ventured into the media sector by acquiring La Provence and La Tribune, followed by investments in M6 and Brut. In July 2024, he completed the acquisition of BFM and RMC, further expanding CMA CGM’s media footprint. In May 2025, he acquired channel Chérie 25 and, through his family holding company, invested in the French cinema group Pathé.

In line with his commitment to achieving net zero by 2050, Saadé has invested $18 billion to decarbonize CMA CGM’s fleet of vessels. With other shipping lines, he advocated for an ambitious decarbonization plan for the industry, setting a target of negative 30 per cent of greenhouse emissions in 2030, negative 80 per cent in 2040 and net zero in 2050. In 2022, Saadé initiated the $1.5 billion Pulse Fund, aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of all the Group’s activities and the sector.

Driven by his entrepreneurial spirit, Saadé founded ZEBOX, CMA CGM’s global network of startup accelerators, which operates across six regions and five continents. Additionally, he co-invested in Kyutai, Europe’s first open-science AI lab. He signed global partnerships with Google and Mistral AI to drive innovation in the group, with tangible benefits for both CMA CGM’s customers and staff members.

To accelerate these transformations and provide CMA CGM’s teams with the tools they need to grow in a complex and fast-changing environment, he inaugurated TANGRAM in May 2024, the Group’s new training and innovation center in Marseille, dedicated to shaping the future of transport, logistics and media.

For the past 20 years, the CMA CGM Group has been providing support to the most vulnerable through its Foundation, based on its strong human and family values. As of today, the CMA CGM Foundation has transported 63,000 tons of humanitarian aid to 97 countries and has led more than 550 educational projects.

To express the societal impact of CMA CGM, Saadé chose to give the Group a purpose illustrating what makes it so unique: “We imagine better ways to serve a world in motion.”

In 2015, he was named Commander of the French Legion of Honour by President Emmanuel Macron.

In recognition of his achievements, Concordia awarded Saadé an honorary doctorate in 2023.