Craig Bell Estabrooks will take over as the Port's new President and CEO later this month. (Image: Port Saint John)
Craig Bell Estabrooks is the new President and Chief Executive Officer for Port Saint John.
The Port’s Board of Directors made the official announcement Wednesday, stating Bell Estabrooks will assume the role as of Nov. 22. He had recently been promoted from Director to Vice President of Corporate Services.
Bell Estabrooks prior involvement with the Port saw him manage both government relations and strategic planning while also being instrumental in the Port’s overall rebranding efforts.
Lisa Keenan, Chair of the Board of Directors for Port Saint John stated in Wednesday’s announcement how Bell Estabrooks experience with Port Saint John will help it continue to adapt to major global issues around climate change, energy transition, and supply chain resiliency.
“He is keenly focused on how we can all continue to grow as a community and Province by leveraging the infrastructure capacity created by the West Side Modernization, as it comes online in 2023,” stated Keenan. “As evidenced by his involvement in this community, Craig is committed to ensuring that the relationship between the Port, City and citizens is at the core of decision making on the waterfront,” she added.
Bell Estabrooks will be tasked with delivering on the Port’s strategic priorities, including optimizing the Port’s land and infrastructure assets and building the competitive position to support added growth for what is already Atlantic Canada’s largest port by tonnage.
A Saint John native, Bell Estabrooks will also continue the Port’s connection with community stakeholders and brings a wealth of community experience needed for the job, having already been awarded the Community Builder Award by FUSION Saint John in 2013 in addition to being named a YMCA Red Triangle Leader to Watch in 2016.
Bell Estabrooks has also worked with Sculpture Saint John, Crescent Valley Resource Centre, Living Saint John, Saint John Learning Exchange, Fort LaTour Development Authority, and Saint John High School Alumni Association.
In preparing himself for the role, Bell Estabrooks says he learned a lot from watching former Port Saint John President and CEO, Jim Quinn both on the job and in the community.
“I saw Jim’s leadership and how he conducted himself and really, really felt it was it was the role I wanted to play in this community as well,” said Bell Estabrooks in an interview. “He came to the Port of Saint John with over 30 years of experience in Ottawa working with the federal civil service and watching Jim be so strategic in cultivating relationships with stakeholders, from government to community to the non-profit sectors. It was incredible to see him build a network, it inspired me to want to do the same thing.”
For Bell Estabrooks, he feels it’s absolutely essential to be as connected to the community in his forthcoming role.
“If I could tell myself from ten years ago how valuable all of the work is, it’s just incredible what you see on a day-to-day basis and the work of the non-profit sector.”
Bell Estabrooks believes the motivating factor for him is to continue to create jobs and prosperity for the region, adding the recent modernization of the Port has helped build the right foundation for its future prosperity.
“It is the piece of infrastructure that is going to take us to the next level. It was so strategic and key and it put us on the map,” said Estabrooks. “Now we’ve got to put the puzzle pieces together and build on that, to make sure we have the right services at the Port of Saint John and that the private sector that operates here at the Port are all rowing together and we’re sharing our common value proposition with the world to make sure that they know that Port Saint John is on the map and that we’re ready for growth.”
As part of Wednesday’s announcement, The Board of Directors also thanked Captain Chris Hall who worked as President & CEO for the Port in an interim capacity since the beginning of July.
