Jan Hoffman
Global Lead, Maritime Transport and Ports, World Bank
Jan joined the World Bank Transport Global Department in January 2025, as Global Lead Maritime Transport and Ports. Responsibilities include the Container Port Performance Index, the Port Reform Toolkit, and support to World Bank in-country port and shipping projects.
From 2003 to 2024, Jan worked for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), since 2016 as Head of the Organization’s Trade Logistics Branch. He developed and led technical assistance programs in trade and transport facilitation, co-authored and coordinated the Review of Maritime Transport, and initiated the Maritime Country Profiles, the International Transport Costs Data Set, and the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index.
Previously, Jan spent six years with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago de Chile, and two years with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London and Santiago. Prior to this, he held part time positions as assistant professor, import-export agent, seafarer, translator, and consultant. For eight years, he worked part time for the family tramp shipping business Hoffmann Shipping, based in Horneburg, Germany, with a tweendecker registered in St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda.
Jan has studied in Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain, and holds a doctorate degree in Economics from the University of Hamburg. He is member of the boards of various journals and professional associations, and from 2014 to 2018 was president of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME). Dr Hoffmann has been to more than 140 countries and had his hair cut in 86. He has three sons and one wife.
Session
Over the past three decades, the global port sector has been reshaped by globalization, containerization, shipping industry consolidation, technological change, and growing environmental and social expectations. This presentation examines how ports have evolved from largely public infrastructure assets into more complex, market‑facing nodes in global supply chains. Building on the three successive editions of the World Bank Port Reform Toolkit, the presentation starts out with a quick overview of how port governance models, private sector participation, labor relations, digitalization, and sustainability priorities have changed.
Looking ahead, the presentation then looks into port reform for the ports of the future. Next‑generation port reform is no longer primarily about privatization or capacity expansion, but about resilience, adaptability, and system integration, in an increasingly volatile trade and shipping market context. Future‑ready ports will also need to balance efficiency with social license and deploy digital technologies while managing cyber risks. The presentation concludes by outlining key policy choices facing governments and port authorities as they navigate an era of uncertainty, technological acceleration, and changing expectations around environmental, social, and governance performance.