The Port of Oakland Commission has awarded Executive Director Chris Lytle a new three-year contract, the port announced June 27. Commissioners unanimously approved the new deal at a meeting last week.
The agreement means the longtime industry veteran will remain at the helm in Oakland through at least July 2019.
“Chris Lytle has transformed the Port of Oakland and raised its visibility as a center for trade, transportation and economic vitality,” Board of Port Commissioners President Earl Hamlin said. “We look forward to three more years of progress together.”
Lytle will continue to manage three primary businesses: the seaport, Oakland International Airport and a commercial real estate portfolio. All three have achieved milestones under Lytle in 2016, including an export rebound at the Port of Oakland, along with the first three visits of the 1,300-foot-long, 18,000-TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, the largest cargo ship to ever visit the US.
“It has been gratifying to work with the staff and Board at the Port of Oakland,” Lytle said in a statement. “We’ve achieved a great deal together and it’s my honor to continue working toward our common goals.”
Lytle joined the Port of Oakland in 2013 after serving as executive director at the Port of Long Beach since 2011. He had originally joined Long Beach in 2006 as a managing director.
Prior to that, he worked as a shipping industry executive with CMA CGM, P&O Ports, APM Terminals and Sea-Land Service.
