Air Cargo World Magazine - People

AIRLINES

Cathay Pacific Airways has appointed 17-year company veteran Tom Owen senior vice president for the Americas. Owen is based in San Francisco, Cathay Pacific’s U.S. headquarters, and is responsible for the overall management of the carrier’s American operations. During his tenure at Cathay Pacific, Owen has transitioned from assistant to the general manager of revenue and marketing to the general manager of revenue. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer of logistics for Steamships Trading Company Ltd. in Papua New Guinea, a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific’s parent company, Swire Group.

Evans

John Evans is Etihad Airways’ new general manager for the Philippines. Evans, who has more than 35 years of aviation experience, transfers to the Manila-based position from Cyprus, where he served as Etihad’s general manager for the past year. Prior to this appointment, he held senior management roles at Swissair and Gulf Air in the UK and Thailand.

Rodyniuk

Michael Rodyniuk has been named executive vice chairman of Gavarnie Holding, LLC’s (parent company to Hawaii Island Air) board of directors. A veteran airline executive, Rodyniuk has held top management posts at Swissair’s SR Technics, Air Canada’s Zip Air, WestJet and Winnipeg Airports Authority. He has also served in managerial roles at United Airlines and American Airlines and, most recently, worked as chief operating officer of Exchange Income Corp.’s aviation segment.

THIRD PARTIES

Hoffman

Damco has named 30-year-plus industry veteran Steve Hoffman the global head for activities in the industrial sector. Hoffman, who joins Damco from Kuehne + Nagel, similarly led K + N’s North American industry vertical. Prior to this appointment, Hoffman worked for Panalpina as the global leader of the automotive vertical.

Chris Carpenter has joined AIT Worldwide Logistics as director of life sciences and government. Carpenter, who began his career in the transportation sector two decades ago as a driver with Priority Air Express, most recently served as president and CEO of Priority. In his new role, Carpenter is developing AIT’s presence in the life sciences and government sectors. In addition to his market responsibilities, Carpenter oversees the company’s New York City location, as well as the Philadelphia station, where he is based.

Bento

SEKO Logistics has appointed Joe Bento to its executive management team as chief sales officer, a role based in North America. Bento joins SEKO from CEVA Logistics, where he served as president of global freight management, president for the Americas region and, most recently, executive vice president. He had previously been president of North America and chief marketing officer for EGL, prior to its acquisition by CEVA Logistics.

Mike McDonald has been named Associated Global Systems’ district manager of sales and service in San Francisco. In this role, he is responsible for service quality, cost control and administration functions, as well as the development of new business in the San Francisco Bay area. McDonald began his transportation career with Profit Freight Systems/LEP International, with positions in domestic and international operations, as well as customer service. Prior to joining AGS, he served as operations manager for AIT Worldwide in San Francisco.

Koller

Stephen Koller has been confirmed as the full-time CEO of Air Menzies International, with a brief to grow the airfreight wholesaler through increased focus on online activities and geographical expansion. Koller first assumed responsibility for AMI in late 2010, while simultaneously serving as executive vice president of IT for Menzies Aviation. He has now relinquished his IT responsibilities, following the appointment of Martin Gallington as senior vice president of IT, and the completion of a phased handover. In addition to his post as CEO of AMI, Koller is also one of Menzies Aviation’s executive directors.

OTHER

Hill

OAG Cargo has named supply chain veteran Alv Hill interim executive vice president. Formerly an executive consultant with Ernst & Young, Hill has led numerous European and global strategy development, reengineering and transformation programs.

By January, Airbus will reorganize its organization in line with the company’s 2020 Vision, making the manufacturer “more efficient and agile,” according to an Airbus press release. The overall goal is to shorten the chain of command, giving decision-making power to those not just at the top level of management. “This new organization will help us to strengthen our leadership position,” Airbus’ CEO, Fabrice Bregier, said in a statement. “We are now ready to give more empowerment and on-the-spot decision-making to our local teams in order to scrap bureaucracy and shorten lines of command. Boosting agility, efficiency and speed, and meeting our high customers’ expectations is the overriding driver for us. This new organization has all the ingredients to take our business excellence to the next level.”

AIRLINES

Forson

Following the resignation of former Cargolux President and CEO Frank Reimen after 20 months on the job, Cargolux has named Richard Forson interim president and CEO. Forson, who serves as the company’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, will retain his CFO responsibilities during the interim period. Reimen is now Luxembourg’s high commissioner for national protection.

Derek Vanstone will take over as Air Canada’s vice president of corporate strategy, industry and government affairs on September 10. Vanstone, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff to the Canadian Prime Minister, will be responsible for Air Canada’s federal, provincial, municipal and community relations, as well as industry affairs. He will assume the strategy, government and industry affairs portfolio held by Duncan Dee, Air Canada’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, who is taking early retirement.

Libano Barroso has stepped down as chief financial officer of LATAM Airlines Group, although he will continue to serve as vice president of TAM S.A. Alejandro de la Fuente, who has been CFO of LAN Airlines since 1995, has been named interim CFO of LATAM Airlines Group. In his previous role, de la Fuente was responsible for corporate financing, treasury, accounting, tax planning and investor relations, among other tasks.

Gen. McNabb

Atlas Air Worldwide has named Gen. Duncan McNabb to its board of directors. Prior to joining Atlas Air, McNabb served as commander of the United States Transportation Command, which provides logistics services for the U.S. Department of Defense. During his military career, McNabb served as the Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, director of logistics on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was responsible for operational logistics and strategic mobility support to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense.

THIRD PARTIES

Franz

The supervisory board of Lufthansa Technik AG has appointed Deutsche Lufthansa AG CEO Christoph Franz board chairman, in addition to electing Johannes Bussmann to the executive board. Bussmann, who assumed the role vacated by Uwe Mukrasch to, is now responsible for human resources, engine and VIP services. Prior to this appointment, Bussmann served as senior vice president of engine services at Lufthansa Technik AG. Also new to the supervisory board is Simone Menne, chief officer of finance and aviation services of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. She replaces Stephan Gemkow, who resigned the post in June.

Moehle

Lothar Moehle has left his post of regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Cargo 2000 to return to DB Schenker. Before assuming a full-time role at Cargo 2000 in 2003, Moehle headed the Schenker department responsible for managing relationships with the company’s overseas partners. His new assignment with Schenker combines quality and security responsibilities. Moehle’s successor at Cargo 2000 has yet to be announced. In other news, Michael Kluger has resigned from Schenker Deutschland AG’s management board in order to perform tasks outside of DB Schenker Logistics. Kluger was responsible for contract logistics/supply-chain management at Schenker Deutschland AG, Germany and in the Central European region within the DB Schenker Logistics business unit since April 2009.

Shelat

Jay Shelat has joined Worldwide Flight Services as senior vice president of terminal services for North America, a post based in Dallas. Shelat comes to WFS from Jet Airways, where he most recently served as vice president of cargo in Mumbai. During his five-year career with Jet Airways, Shelat helped lead the expansion of the airline’s network in India and abroad.

AIRLINES

David Ranger has been named Etihad Airways’ partner relationship manager for the south Asia-Pacific region. Ranger, whose aviation career spans more than 30 years, previously held senior management roles with British Airways, the Qantas/BA Joint Services business and Airnorth. At Etihad, he is responsible for the carrier’s partnerships with Air New Zealand, Bangkok Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Virgin Australia. Xenia Adamou has ascended to the post of general

Adamou

manager, South Africa. She has worked as sales manager at the airline for the past four years; before that, Adamou worked for more than 30 years at South African Airways. Maurice Phohleli, who previously served in the South Africa post, is the new general manager of Nigeria. His duties include overseeing the airline’s new Lagos operation, which launched July 1.

When LAN Airlines and TAM merged to become LATAM Airlines Group, a number of personnel changes took place. Mauricio Rolim Amaro, who previously served as vice chairman of TAM, took over the chairmanship of LATAM. Maria Claudia Amaro has kept her position as chairwoman of the TAM board, but has also become a member of the LATAM board. The former executive vice president and CEO of LAN, Enrique Cueto, serves in that role with the new company. Ignacio Cueto, LAN’s COO and president, is the new CEO of LAN Airlines.

AIRPORTS

The supervisory board of Fraport AG has appointed Michael Muller as the new executive board member for labor relations, succeeding the retiring Herbert Mai. Muller,

Muller

who joined the Frankfurt Airport operating company in 1984, most recently served as executive vice president of Fraport AG’s ground services strategic business unit. In his new role, Muller has responsibility for human resources, the airport security management strategic business unit and the central purchasing unit. The supervisory board has also appointed Anke Giesen to the Fraport executive board, with responsibility for the retail and properties, and ground services strategic business units. Giesen, who comes to Fraport AG from Douglas Holding AG, also oversees management development activities for the board.

Mohamed Yusuf Al Binfalah will take over as CEO of the Bahrain Airport Company in

Al Binfalah

September. Al Binfalah, who currently serves as CEO of Olive VFM Holding Company and sits on the ATYAF Telecommunications and Infrastructure International board of directors, brings 27 years of private-sector experience to the position. Some of his previous roles included general manager of DHL Aviation Service WLL and working in facility management at Gulf Petrochemicals Company.

Airport Authority Hong Kong has appointed Cissy Chan Ching-sze executive director of commercial for the airport. Chan comes to AAHK from Hysan Development Company Ltd., where she served as director of retail portfolio and marketing. In her new role, Chan will be developing and implementing commercial strategies at Hong Kong International Airport, as well as identifying potential tenants and operators for the airport’s commercial portfolio, which spans retail, advertising, aviation logistics and airport property.

THIRD PARTIES

Hawkins

Richard Hawkins is the new group quality director for Pattonair, with responsibility for health, safety and the environment. The more than 20-year aerospace veteran joins Pattonair from Rolls-Royce, where he worked as a supplier development executive for the company’s marine sector. Hawkins also served in a quality-control capacity with Airbus.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide has promoted Bryan Foe to president of C.H. Robinson Europe. Foe has worked at the company for 22 years, serving for the past nine years as president of T-Chek Systems, which was acquired by C.H. Robinson in 1983. Foe’s new goals include developing talent in the region and accelerating growth.

Malcolm Bermingham has joined Los Angeles-based freight forwarder Consolidators International as president of sales and operations, a newly created post. Bermingham, who has more than 20 years of experience, most recently served as vice president, USA, at a medium-sized forwarder.

Swissport Cargo has appointed David Bermingham CEO, cargo, for the UK. The 25-year industry veteran worked at TNT for 17 years, most recently as divisional managing director of TNT Post UK. At Swissport, Bermingham is focusing on service quality and customer satisfaction.