Zim has confirmed that president and chief executive Eli Glickman will leave the company, marking the latest major development in what has already been a highly eventful period for the Israeli container shipping line.
According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Glickman informed the board on 15 April of his decision to step down. He will remain in his role during a six-month notice period while the company begins the search for a successor.
The announcement comes at a sensitive moment for Zim, which has been at the centre of merger speculation and shareholder scrutiny in recent months.
Last month, Glickman sold shares in the company worth around $40m. Other senior members of Zim management also sold stock, with all of the shares changing hands below the $35 per share offered under Hapag-Lloyd’s proposed takeover bid.
The German carrier revealed in February that it intended to acquire all outstanding shares in New York-listed Zim in a $4.2bn deal designed to address strategic and political sensitivities in Israel. Under the proposal, a new shipping entity would be created to hold the Zim brand, 16 ships serving Israeli routes, and the Israeli government’s golden share, while Hapag-Lloyd would acquire the rest of the business, including charters covering 99 vessels.
Zim has scheduled a special general meeting for 30 April, when shareholders will vote on the merger plan.
The Hapag-Lloyd proposal followed a long stretch of uncertainty over Zim’s future ownership. That period included an attempted privatisation bid in August 2025 led by Glickman and Ray Shipping chairman Abraham Ungar. The failed effort later contributed to the appointment of two new board members in December 2025, a move intended to calm concerns among dissident shareholders who were uneasy about the prospect of a management-led buyout.
