Posted on April 28, 2025
Christopher J Wiernicki has announced he will step down as chairman and chief executive and retire at the end of this year, after 14 years at the helm of ABS.
Mr Wiernicki made the announcement at the ABS Annual Members Meeting.
After thanking the ABS board of directors, the employees and his family for their support, Mr Wiernicki said, “We have faced many challenges during my tenure, including the pandemic, the marine and offshore industry downturn and unprecedented, disruptive technology and regulatory-driven change. In spite of these events, we were able to move forward with a number of strategic investments that have allowed us to become an industry-recognised technology and safety leader.”
In a statement touting a “well-planned succession process,” ABS said the chairman and chief executive role held be Mr Wiernicki is expected to pass to the current ABS president and chief operating officer John McDonald on 1 January, 2026, pending his election by the cbmpany’s board of directors.
Mr Wiernicki has more than 35 years of commercial, government and international experience in marine and offshore design, operations, infrastructure and safety management, ports and bunkering, digitalisation, cyber security, and clean energy transition.
Prior to his current role, he served as chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies and held senior roles at ABS, including president and chief operating officer, chief technology officer and president and chief operating officer of ABS Europe Ltd.
In March 2023, he accepted a position on Singapore’s Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP). The IAP was established by the Singapore Ministry of Transport and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to seek global perspectives on key trends that will shape the maritime industry.
In 2022, Mr Wiernicki was selected as a member of the Marine Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in the US. In 2021, he was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering for his innovative leadership in the design, engineering and operation of ships and offshore structures. He is a Fellow with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and serves on numerous university boards and advisory councils.
In 2013, Mr Wiernicki was awarded the Vice Admiral Emory S ’Jerry’ Land Medal from the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers for outstanding accomplishment in the marine field. In 2016, he earned the United Seaman’s Service Admiral of the Ocean Seas Award for outstanding contributions to the maritime industry, and he is a member of the International Maritime Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
In 2017, Mr Wiernicki was named Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Person of the Year. In 2018, he was recognised as one of the top 50 influential people in the tanker and trade industry by Tanker Shipping & Trade magazine.
Mr Wiernicki holds a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University and was inducted to Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni and was named to the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering’s Board of Visitors. He holds a Master’s degree in structural engineering from George Washington University where he was inducted into the George Washington University Engineering and Applied Science Hall of Fame. Mr Wiernicki also holds a Master’s degree in ocean engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. Mr Wiernicki also received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Maine Maritime Academy, Webb Institute and SUNY Maritime College, and an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology.
