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Ahillen to leave Matson after 10 years in Guam
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Posted on Oct 27 2006
[B]GUAM[/B]—After 10 years with Matson as country manager in Guam, Tom Ahillen is leaving the company for personal reasons and relocating to Phoenix, Arizona.
Ahillen has been a key leader for Matson’s Guam and Micronesia service, working closely with customers, port and government officials, and community organizations. He will remain in charge of Matson’s Guam office until the end of the year and will be available on an advisory basis following his relocation to Phoenix. His successor will be announced soon.
Ahillen’s experience on Guam dates back to 1991, when he moved to the island as an employee of APL. He had a pivotal role in transition process in 1995, when Matson purchased the Guam service and its assets from APL.
In the past 10 years, Ahillen has been the central point person for all Guam and Micronesia matters, overseeing Matson’s Guam staff of 33 employees, the vast majority of whom have been with the company since Matson first acquired the service. In that time, Matson has invested in new vessels and equipment for the service, launched a new liner service for Micronesia and actively supported the privatization of the Port Authority of Guam.
In addition to strengthening customer relations in Guam and Micronesia, Ahillen led his staff through a number of typhoons and supertyphoons, “ensuring Matson proactively addressed the disasters in a way that fully supported both our customers and the communities we serve,” Matson said in a statement.
Ahillen often served as an officer for charitable organizations such as the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Girl Scouts, the Guam Community College Endowment Fund, the University of Guam Endowment Foundation and the Guam Navy League. He is the founder of Gift of Life, a blood donor organization. In 2002, Guam Business magazine named him “Executive of the Year.”
“I know I speak for many at Matson, particularly our dedicated staff in Guam, when I say that we will greatly miss Tom. In the past 10 years, he has helped establish Matson in Guam and Micronesia as a quality carrier fully committed to the islands,” said Gary North, Matson’s senior vice president – Pacific. “He has also been a tremendous representative of the company in all of his efforts, whether they pertain to business matters or community service. Please join me in wishing Tom and his Debra all the best in their new life in Phoenix.”
