Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> March 29, 2004
JAMES BLAIR SHERWOOD is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Sea Containers Ltd., a Bermuda company engaged in marine container
asset leasing, ferry, train and port operations. Sea Containers Ltd.'s
common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Sherwood
serves as Chairman of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., an affiliate of Sea
Containers Ltd. listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which engages in
the hotel, tourist train and cruise ship business. He has a BA in
Economics from Yale University. Mr. Sherwood served as Ensign and
Lieutenant (j.g.) in the U.S. Naval Reserve 1955-1958 on active duty in
the Pacific. Mr. Sherwood served in various positions with United States
Lines in France and New York 1959-1963 related in part to the new idea
at the time of transporting cargoes by sea in large steel containers. In
1963 he was asked to establish a container leasing business for a New
York-based transportation company, Container Transport International
Inc. This proved to be a success but the company was undercapitalized
and could not take advantage of the opportunities in the largest
shipping market which was Europe. He then moved back to Europe and
established Sea Containers Ltd. in 1965 in London in partnership with a
Yale classmate and a mutual English friend from Paris, with the three of
them providing the capital needed to start the new company. Burnham &
Co. provided further capital in 1967 and the company went public in the
US in 1968. Today, Sea Containers Ltd. has assets of more than $3.4
billion. Profile
company and a picture of things you are doing at the present time.
Mr. Sherwood: The company is a Bermuda company and our
