Transportation 500: NISSIM YOCHAI

Yochai was tapped as Zim American’s president in October 2022. The U.S. company, a subsidiary of Israeli cargo shipping company Zim Integrated Shipping Services, moved to the Hampton Roads region in 2001, and last year announced it was investing $30 million to relocate and expand its U.S. headquarters, which moved from Norfolk to Virginia Beach in July.

In 2011, Yochai joined Zim’s parent company, which has operations in more than 90 countries serving approximately 34,000 customers in more than 300 ports worldwide. 

Zim Integrated Shipping’s total revenue was $5.16 billion for the full year of 2023, compared to $12.56 billion in 2022 due to a decrease in freight rates, but finances appear to be perking up this year. In the first quarter of 2024, Zim reported $1.56 billion in revenue, a year-over-year increase of 14%.

Yochai has a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology. He previously was executive vice president of Zim’s trans-Pacific trade division based in Hong Kong, and he held executive positions with DHL Express, Fridenson Air & Ocean, and Aviv Shigur.