Sad Death of Container Shipping Line Boss Leads Personnel News This Week

TAIWAN – A sad start to our round-up of staff changes in the global freight and logistics industry with the news that Hermann Yu, President of container carrier Yang Ming Marine Transport, died at the age of just 59. Yu joined Yang Ming in 1984 holding several senior positions before being made President in 2013. Holding a Masters degree in maritime law Yu fell ill with cancer in 2013 since when he had been unwell and his demise was described as a loss to the whole industry by his colleagues.

JAPAN – Kintetsu World Express has named current Director, Nobutoshi Torii as its new Representative Director, President, and CEO, effect June 21.

UK – Ryan Ellis has been appointed Head of GSA Territory Management at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, based at the airline's cargo headquarters close to London Gatwick Airport. Ellis joined Virgin Atlantic Cargo six years ago and prior to this new appointment, he spent three years as Regional Sales Manager - Continental Europe.

UK – Cooper Handling Group has appointed Tony Rooney as Managing Director of its three operating companies, Cooper Materials Handling, Cooper Handling Solutions, and Cooper Specialised Handling.

UK – Global law firm Clyde & Co has today announced the appointment of Fanos Theophani as Partner in its Global Marine Group, joining from specialist shipping firm More Fisher Brown where he was a Partner.

UK – PD Ports has announced that former shipping agent Keith Russell and journalist Lucy Richardson have joined the company based at its headquarters in Middlesbrough. Russel has joined as Business Development Manager, with Richardson appointed as the new Marketing and Communications Executive to support the wider PR and Marketing team.

FRANCE – François Gauthey, currently Chief Operating Officer in charge of Corporate Services has been appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Eurotunnel, effective since May 2.

GERMANY – Air Partner has announced Mike Hill as its new Director of Freight. Hill has been with the group since 2007, when he joined to set up Air Partner’s freight office in Germany from scratch. He will remain based in Air Partner’s German office and will report directly to Richard Smith, Head of Products, who previously held the role.

GERMANY – Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA) has appointed Angela Titzrath as its next Chairman of the Executive Board, effective January 1, 2017, to succeed Klaus-Dieter Peters, who is leaving the company on December 31.

SOUTH AFRICA – One of the first three women in Africa to obtain a Marine Pilot open licence in 2011, Pinky Zungu, has again made history with her appointment as Transnet National Ports Authority’s first black female Deputy Harbour Master – Nautical for the Port of Durban.

US – Three new Federal representatives have been appointed to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors. The incoming appointees will bring to the board extensive backgrounds in transportation safety. They include two new Principal Directors with voting authority: Carol Carmody, former Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and David Strickland, former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The incoming Alternate Director will be Robert Lauby, Chief Safety Officer of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Anthony Costa, a Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), will remain an Alternate Director. The appointments will be effective June 1.

Leaving the WMATA board this month after distinguished service as Federal representatives are Mortimer Downey, a former US Deputy Secretary of Transportation, who has served for six years, becoming the Chairman in January 2015, Harriet Tregoning, an expert in urban planning and smart growth, who has served since 2014, and Anthony Giancola, who served in the Civil Engineer Corps of the US Navy for 20 years.