UK – The TT Club, provider of mutual insurance and related risk management services to the international transport and logistics industry, says it is the drive to digitalisation of the sector which has prompted the appointment of its first Chief Technology Officer.
The move sees thirty year veteran of the London-market insurance community, Kevin Blunsum take up the role to work alongside Lisa Gibbard, the recently appointed CIO of TT Club’s management company, Thomas Miller, to ensure alignment with other businesses in the group. Blunsum has experience in insurance technology development and change management with Deloitte, EY, Accenture, and more recently with Aspen Insurance as Director of Business Transformation.
EUROPE – SOUTH EAST ASIA – Asendia, the joint venture between La Poste and Swiss Post, has opened the ‘Asian Desk’ to assist western brands access the eCommerce market in Asia, optimising sales marketplaces such as Shopee and Lazada, while simultaneously building sales through their own brand.com websites.
The move has prompted the appointment of Frederic Vacher as Global Business Development Manager for Asia-Pacific. The Desk is supported by a team in Europe bridging with local experts in the APAC region, with logistics abilities in Singapore’s Free Trade Zone and a last mile delivery partnership with Ninja Van.
US – American Trucking Associations (ATA) has announced Katie McMichael as the first executive director of the Association’s Moving and Storage Conference. McMichael will oversee operations and assist in the advocacy efforts for the leading national organisation representing household good moving companies and industry suppliers, as well as various state moving and storage associations. McMichael joined the ATA last year as director of the MSC, overseeing the creation of the Moving and Storage Conference in August 2020.
Prior to joining ATA, Katie served as director of government affairs for the American Moving and Storage Association where she worked as the head lobbyist responsible for educating and increasing the household goods industry presence with Hill staff and legislators, and directed grassroots efforts within the association. She has also held positions with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and on Capitol Hill.
US – PUERTO RICO – The TOTE group, which deals in maritime transportation, vessel services and terminal operations, has expanded its leadership team with Mike Noone, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC being promoted to a new role as the company’s chief operating officer for the Group. Kevin D. Kendrick will be named the new president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and Alex Hofeling will be named president of TOTE Maritime Alaska, LLC.
Noone and Kendrick will transition to their new roles on January 1, 2022 whilst Hofelingwill take over the presidency effective November 29th, where he will oversee the entirety of operations for TOTE Maritime Alaska and will be based at the company’s office in Tacoma, Washington.
US – UK – WORLDWIDE – Logistics cargo payment platform PayCargo has appointed Amit Gairola as Chief Design Officer to its executive team. He will be based in London from where he will lead a team focused on the product and strategy of expansion in Europe, Middle East, and Asia. He will also have global responsibility for the company’s data business.
Gairola worked previously at Amazon for ten years in a variety of General Management, Product and Commercial roles, including most recently as General Manager of Amazon Freight in Europe. He also recently worked as Chief Executive for a new business opportunity in the sustainable fashion start-up, Pangaia, and previously strategy consulting at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
NORWAY – Ocean and air freight rate benchmarking market analytics platform and container shipping index Xeneta has announced Jesper Kjaedegaard as a new board member. Kjaedegaard is a noted ocean freight expert and independent board member of several maritime-related companies and most notably served as a senior executive in the Maersk group for 30 years.
With more than 40 years of ocean freight industry experience he has planned and directed ocean transportation services and port development projects around the world. As a past senior vice president and member of Maersk Line’s executive board, Kjaedegaard was directly responsible for managing Maersk Line’s global vessel network as well as pricing and was highly influential in the development of INTTRA, the Liner industry’s booking platform.
Kjaedegaard is past president of the UK Chamber of Shipping and chairman of Maritime UK. He has also served as a non-executive board director for a number of both listed and privately-owned transport-related companies in Europe, Latin America and Asia. This includes V-Group, Hafnia Tankers, Stobart Group, Red Sea Gateway Terminals, Seatruck Ferries, Essar Group, APMT Bahrain and BIMCO.
SAN MARINO – WORLDWIDE – The Republic of San Marino has appointed Admiral Giampaolo Bensaia as the new Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), after the country established its new international shipping registry in 2021. On November 9th, Admiral Bensaia was introduced by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Luca Beccari to the Most Excellent Captains Regent for the swearing-in ceremony.
Admiral Bensaia worked as the Maritime Attaché at the Italian Embassy in London from 2016 to 2019, as well as Alternate Representative to the IMO, IMSO and IOPC funds. In his 36 years as an Officer in the Italian Coast Guard, he worked on safety of navigation, marine environment, SAR, piracy, international maritime law, and as an international cooperation expert on European projects for port and maritime administrations.
Photo: A detail from an original foyer poster for the 1933 film Employees’ Entrance, directed by Roy Del Ruth.
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