UPDATED 7:35PM | The Port of Long Beach released a statement regarding Lytle’s resignation Thursday evening, confirming his departure to Oakland in mid-July.
“The Board, Port staff and our customers will miss Chris, and we wish him well in his next endeavor,” said Susan E. Anderson Wise, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. “He has served admirably in all his roles here at the Port, and a lot of great things have been accomplished while he’s served as our Executive Director.
The Board will name an interim executive director before Lytle leaves.
ORIGINAL 6:12PM | Port of Long Beach Executive Director Chris Lytle is leaving the nation’s second-largest seaport to head the Port of Oakland, it was announced today.
Oakland officials released the news that Lytle has accepted the position and will, starting July 1, oversee Oakland’s maritime port, airport and real estate division.
The announcement comes four months after the important Northern California Port began a global search to replace its former executive director, who stepped down last November when it was discovered that he had billed wasteful and inappropriate expenses to the port.
“The Port Commission set a high standard for its next leader and has successfully achieved this goal with the selection of Chris Lytle, who has a proven track record of growing business while engaging the community and ensuring leading environmental stewardship,” Board President Gilda Gonzales said in a statement.
A former executive at several major shipping companies, Lytle has been with the Port of Long Beach since 2006 when he became one of its four managing directors. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the Port’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer before becoming Executive Director in November of 2011.
During his time at the Port of Long Beach, both MSC and CMA-CGM–the second and third largest container lines in the world–made the Port their SoCal hub, including what was the French-based CMA-CGM’s first West Coast investment.
“Under Mr. Lytle’s leadership, the Port of Oakland will continue its aggressive focus on growing maritime and aviation volumes and instilling new confidence in Port business and community partners,” the Oakland press release stated.
The Port of Long Beach has not made any formal announcement of Lytle’s departure.
Read more: