Jansen takes ESTA role

Søren Jansen is the new general secretary at the European Association of Heavy Haulage, Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA).

The ESTA board elected Jansen and his appointment was approved on 22 April, for a term of three years. Duties include representing ESTA in the European Regulations Working Group, driving ESTA membership by finding new members, special members and associated members, and representing ESTA in other European and international working groups.

Priorities will be to: make ESTA more visible; work more closely with European health and safety executives; co-operate more closely with crane and transport equipment manufacturers; strengthen international co-operation; and establish harmonised transport regulations.

Jansen has a long career in the crane industry that includes nearly ten years as vice president and general manager at Mannesmann Demag in the USA. Since he moved back to his native Denmark in the early 1990s, activities have included working from 1992 to 2008 as managing director at BMS, the country's largest crane rental company. Jansen has already been involved with ESTA for 10 years, many of them as ESTA representative of the Danish Contractors Association.

In addition to his role at ESTA, Jansen is also chairman, vice chairman and a board member at seven Danish companies and works as special advisor for a major insurance company.