Business Leader of The Year - KZN Top Business Awards 2025
- Jul 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Captain Salvatore Sarno, Chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) began his journey in the Italian Navy in 1965. However, he found the rigid structure stifling and left after two years to join the merchant navy, where he worked on tankers as a cadet.
His career took a significant turn when he met Gianluigi Aponte, who, alongside his wife Rafaela, had recently founded MSC. Aponte offered Captain Sarno a position aboard a 4,000 tonne vessel, one of MSC’s f irst ships, and together they set out to establish MSC’s inaugural shipping line around Africa.
At the age of 30, Captain Sarno left the sea to join Aponte in Brussels, assisting in the management of MSC’s growing fleet, which then comprised only five ships. Together, they dreamed of making MSC the world’s largest shipping company. Captain Sarno moved with his family, his wife interacted with staff they trusted. Sandra and his two sons, into a small office where each team member took on multiple roles, with spouses contributing as well. MSC’s reputation grew, and soon, the company relocated to Geneva to enhance its professional image.
A major milestone for MSC came when BMW South Africa awarded them a contract, provided they could offer weekly service between Europe and South Africa. Captain Sarno, aged 40, took on the challenge, relocating to South Africa with a two-year commitment to establish MSC’s presence. Those two years transformed into a much longer tenure, as he built MSC South Africa into the country’s largest shipping organisation with the help of Sandra, who managed sixteen container depots, and his son Rosario, who eventually became the managing director, overseeing more than 2,000 employees. Captain Sarno insisted on maintaining a personal touch in client relations, avoiding call centres to ensure customers interacted with staff they trusted.
In 1992, Captain Sarno co-founded the Container Lines Operator Forum (CLOF) with the late Dave Rennies, forming a network of top shipping executives who advised Transnet’s leaders on optimising port and container terminal operations. Six years later, in 1998, he was appointed president of the South African Branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Captain Sarno’s success led him to unexpected meetings, including an encounter with President Nelson Mandela. Inspired by Mandela’s vision for South Africa, Captain Sarno collaborated with the South African Navy in 1999 to establish Izivunguvungu, the MSC Foundation, a youth initiative in Simon’s Town to support disadvantaged South Africans.
In 2018, together with his son Rosario, Captain Sarno founded the Shosholoza Academy, where thousands of young South Africans have been trained to work on MSC’s passenger ships, contributing to employment and skill-building within the country.
Captain Sarno’s many industry and social contributions were acknowledged when he was awarded an Italian Republic Knighthood by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in 2005. Four years later, in 2009, he was appointed as an Official of the Knighthood Order by President Giorgio Napolitano.
Today, Captain Sarno looks towards the future of South Africa’s ports with optimism. He believes the nation has the right leaders to drive change and restore the country’s infrastructure, pointing to recent progress as a sign of hope.
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