Appointments and Departures from Ocean Freight to Road Haulage and Logistics

SWITZERLAND – Ahead of its probable merger with Danish freight giant DSV, the Swiss headquartered freight forwarding and logistics group, Panalpina, has proposed Thomas Kern as its new Chairman of the Board at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, to be held on May 9.

Kern currently chairs Panalpina’s independent board of directors and headed the final phase of evaluating the company’s strategic options which then eventually led to the decision to recommend the transaction with DSV. He was elected to Panalpina’s board of directors in 2015.

If elected Kern will succeed Peter Ulber as Chairman, who in 2018 announced that he would not stand for re-election. Ulber will also not stand for re-election as a regular board member.

SWITZERLAND – Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced that Maurizio Aponte, Executive Director – Europe, will be taking up new responsibilities within the MSC family, effective May 1. Aponte has for decades been one of the key pillars in the development of MSC and moving forward, he has decided to oversee a family maritime business based in Italy.

FRANCE – GEFCO has appointed Valérie Floridia as Director of the GEFCO Innovation Factory. Launched in 2018, the internal incubator offers employees worldwide an opportunity to propose and develop innovative ideas to help drive GEFCO’s growth.

UK – The Port of Dover has announced the appointment of Nik Scott-Gray as the new General Manager, effective in July. Scott-Gray is currently Chief Executive at Montrose Port Authority in Scotland where he has held the role since May 2015.

UK – B&H Worldwide has appointed Megan Laws to the newly created role of Customer Care Manager to head up its CustomerFirst! Programme. She will be based at the company’s London Heathrow headquarters and reports directly to the Board.

UK – ACP Worldwide has promoted Rod Entwistle to the newly created position of Managing Director. A 23-year veteran of the company, Entwistle has been responsible for the running of the company’s day-to-day functions both in the UK and overseas.

UK – Dame Judith Hackitt and Stephen Hughes have both been named to the High Speed Two (HS2) Board of Directors as non-Executive Directors.

Dame Judith was the Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and is Chair of manufacturing trade body Make UK (formerly EEF). She also holds non-executive positions at Made Smarter Commission, Imperial College Court, City & Guilds Group, and High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

Hughes has served as Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council for nearly 10 years, as well as previously holding an executive role at Brent Council.

Ed Smith and Roger Mountford have also been reappointed as non-Executive Directors for a further 3 years. Andrew Wolstenholme has left the board of HS2, having served on the board since June 2018.

CANADA – Drone Delivery Canada has announced the appointment of Spencer Todd, an Analyst in the Technology Consulting practice at Deloitte to the Company’s Board of Directors.

US – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the establishment of the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee (STSAC), appointing several members across the transportation sector to sit as voting members.

The STSAC will report to TSA Administrator David Pekoske and will provide recommendations on surface transportation security matters, including the development, refinement, and implementation of policies, programs, initiatives, rulemakings, and security directives. The members appointed are as follows:

Mass Transit and Passenger Rail:

• Jaime Becerra, Chief of Transit Enforcement/Deputy Chief of Safety & Security, North County Transit District
• Edward Bruce, Director of Intelligence, New Jersey Transit
• Robert Finnegan, Captain, Police Administration, Delaware River Port Authority Police
• Robert Gatchell, Chief Safety & Security Officer, Go Brightline
• Polly Hanson, Director of Security, Risk and Emergency Management, American Public Transportation Association
• Ivan Mote, Chief Safety Officer, Jacksonville Transportation Authority
• Ronald Pavlik, Jr., Chief of Police, Metro Transit Police Department
• Joe Perez, Chief of Police & Security, Northeast Illinois Commuter Railroad
• Lisa Ann Shahade, Deputy Chief of Police for Strategic Operations, Amtrak

Freight Rail:

• Greg Bretzing, Senior Vice President, Global Security, Safety and Corporate Affairs, The Greenbrier Companies.
• Thomas Farmer, Assistant Vice President of Security, Association of American Railroads
• Herschel Flowers, Homeland Security Manager, Kansas City Southern Railway
• Edward Gelnar, Jr., Vice President of Safety and Compliance, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
• Donald Loftis, Principle Software Engineer, Olin Corporation

Pipeline:

• Kimberly Denbow, Senior Director of Security, Operations and Engineering Services, American Gas Association
• Rebecca Gagliostro, Director of Security, Reliability and Resilience, The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America
• Alfred Hancock, Senior Regulatory Security Consultant, Xcel Energy
• William Hayward, Director of Security, BP Alaska

Highway and Motor Carrier – Infrastructure:

• Natalie Jones-Best, Emergency Preparedness and Risk Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Eileen Phifer, Safety and Security Administrator, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Highway and Motor Carrier – Motor Carrier:

• Douglas Morris, Director of Safety and Security Operations, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
• Jacob Pierce, Deputy Executive Director, Safety Management Council, American Trucking Association
• Alexandra Rosen, Customs, Immigration, & Cross-Border Operations Manager, American Trucking Association

Highway and Motor Carrier – Over-the-Road Bus:

• Michael Beltranena, Jr., Director of Safety and Security, Coach USA/Suburban Transit Bus Company
• Michael Licata, President, Community Anti-Terrorism Training Institute
• Jason Louis, Vice President of Safety, Coach USA
• Alan Smith, Director of Safety and Security, Greyhound

Highway and Motor Carrier – School Bus:

• Robert Ramsdell, Chief Safety Officer, National Express
• Brian Reu, Lieutenant, Minnesota State Patrol, State Director of Pupil Transportation, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services

Groups Representing the Users of Surface Transportation:

• Joseph DeLuca, Chief Compliance Officer, Secure Worker Access Consortium
• Jennifer Gibson, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, National Association of Chemical Distributors
• Robyn Kinsley, Vice President Transportation and Emergency Preparedness, The Chlorine Institute
• Denise Rucker Krepp, locally elected official, Advisory Neighborhood Committee
• Jonathan Todd, Partner, Transportation & Logistics Practice Group, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff
• Patricia Woodbury, Council Member, City of Newport News, Virginia

Photo: Thomas Kern, proposed new Chairman at Panalpina