Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Staff Movements and Appointments from Logistics and Air Freight to Container Shipping and Beyond

Latest Tranche of Who has Gone Where and When (and sometimes even Why)
Shipping News Feature

WORLDWIDE – A bunch of big hitters swapping job this week in the latest pre-Christmas round of dismissals, retirements and appointments which range from container shipping line bosses through air freight and passenger association changes to logistic and railroad staff movements.

AFRICA – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the appointment of Raphael Kuuchi as the Association’s Vice President for Africa from February 17, 2014. Kuuchi joins IATA from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) where he was the Director of Commercial, Corporate and Industry Affairs, based at AFRAA headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Kuuchi succeeds Mike Higgins in the role, following Higgins’ reassignment as the Regional Head of Airport, Cargo and Passenger Services for Europe.

Kuuchi will report to Hussein Dabbas, Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East and lead a team of some 23 professionals in IATA’s four sub-Saharan offices. Kuuchi will be based out of IATA’s Nairobi office, but will divide his time between IATA’s Africa regional office in Johannesburg and sub-regional offices in Dakar and Lagos.

CHINA – Feng Jinhua has resigned as the Chief Financial Officer at COSCO to take up a new position outside of the company. Current Director at many of COSCO’s group of companies Tang Runjiang, takes over from Jinhua, at the end of the November.

HONG KONG – Sinotrans Shipping has announced a series of changes to its senior members following the resignations of Zhao Huxiang as Non-Executive Director, Chairman, Chairman of the Nomination Committee and Committee Member of the Remuneration Committee, and Pan Deyuan as Non-Executive Director and Committee Member of the Audit Committee. Both Huxiang and Deyuan have left Sinotrans to take up new roles in other companies. Li Zhen has been appointed in place of Huxiang.

HONG KONG – Cathay Pacific has appointed Rupert Hogg as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective March 2014, when Ivan Chu, the present COO, succeeds John Slosar as Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific. Hogg will at the same time become a Director of Cathay Pacific.

TAIWAN – The board of Directors at China Airlines has appointed Lin Peng-liang as its new President, replacing Sun Hongxiang, effective since November 12.

SOUTH KOREA – As of December 1, Tai Soo Suk has taken up the role of President and CEO of Hanjin Shipping, following the resignation of Kim Young Min. He will officially be appointed at the firm’s shareholders’ and board meetings in March 2014.

SOUTH KOREA – STX Pan Ocean has announced the resignation of some of the company’s senior staff. CEO and Executive Director Chun Il Yu, and three of the company’s Directors Dong Moo Choi, Yun Jae Baek and Joon Woo Han left their respective roles on November 22.

INDIA – Singapore Airlines has appointed David Lau as its new General Manager in India. He took over from G.M. Toh on December 1 to manage the India operations of both Singapore Airlines and its full-service regional carrier SilkAir.

SINGAPORE – Current CFO of Singapore Airlines Chan How Chan has announced his resignation from the company to take up the position of CFO at the Keppel Corporation, effective February 1, 2014. He will succeed Loh Chin Hua, who is to become the group’s CEO in January 2014. In the meantime, Keppel Corporation's Group Controller Paul Tan will be the Acting CFO for the month of January 2014.

SINGAPORE – Menlo Worldwide Logistics has announced the appointment of Michael Lim as Business Development Director for its operations in South Asia. He will be located at Menlo's Singapore office.

US – Spirit AeroSystems has announced the appointment of Christopher Kubasik, to its board of directors effective November 25.

US – Horizon Lines has named Geoffrey Thurston as its new Senior Vice President and General Manager for the company’s Puerto Rico trade. Thurston will succeed Richard Rodriguez, who will become the Vice President Terminal Services. The new appointments have been effective since December 2, 2013.

US – Pacific Imperial Railroad named David Rohal President of the company beginning December 1.

US – Tadano America has named Jay Shiffler as its new Vice President and General Manager of Marketing. He will report to Tadano America’s President Yo Kakinuma.

CANADA – Canadian Pacific has announced Bart Demosky as its Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective December 28, 2013, following the announcement that Brian Grassby would retire as the company's Senior Vice-President and CFO at year-end.

CANADA – Descartes Systems Group has announced the appointments of Edward Ryan as CEO and J. Scott Pagan President and COO. Ryan replaces Arthur Mesher who has served as CEO since 2004 after joining the company as Executive Vice President, Strategic Development, in 1998. Mesher has retired as CEO and Chairman of the Board due to health and personal issues.

EUROPE – Athar Husain Khan was unanimously appointed as the first CEO of the Association of European Airlines by the organisation’s member airlines. He joined AEA in 2007 as General Manager Infrastructure and later Environment and Policy as well. In 2011, he was appointed Deputy Secretary General and since last year he assumed the function of acting Secretary General of AEA.

UK – Pall-Ex has appointed logistics veteran Graham Murray to its board, as Director of Strategic Development. Murray will be responsible for strengthening the network, in preparation for full Pan-European coverage.

SWEDEN – Jan Gurander has been appointed new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Member of Volvo’s Group Executive Team, effective January 1, 2014. Gurander will report to group CEO Olof Persson. Volvo’s current CFO Anders Osberg will strengthen the management work on the long-term development of the Business Areas of the Volvo Group. Osberg will assume his new position on March 1, 2014, and report to Håkan Karlsson, who is responsible for the Group’s business areas.

SWITZERLAND – The Board of Directors of Kuehne + Nagel International AG has announced the appointment of Markus Blanka-Graff to the position of CFO, effective July 1, 2014, when his predecessor Gerard van Kesteren, will retire after 25 years service with the company. Blanka-Graff began his career in 1996 at the Kuehne + Nagel subsidiary in Vienna and has since held various management positions.

THE NETHERLANDS – Bogdan Fedorciow will join Eyefreight as the Executive Vice President, International. Fedorciow will lead Eyefreight’s international sales team.