AIRLINES
Tony Randgaard, who has worked in the airline business for 31 years, has left United Cargo for an extended period of travel. He served as manager cargo marketing. Randgaard worked for United for eight years and was previously at Northwest Airlines Cargo for seven years. The sabbatical will enable him to spend more time at his home in Minneapolis. Helen Kristensen has become director, cargo sales strategic accounts. Kristensen joined United in 1995 and has held management positions in fields such as passenger sales and airport operations. She has served as a United Cargo sales strategic partner manager since 2007. Kristensen is fluent in five languages, with speaking and understanding competence in five additional languages.
Carsten Spohr was appointed CEO and chairman of Lufthansa’s executive board. Spohr, who has overseen Lufthansa Passenger Airlines since 2011, will assume his new role on May 1. Spohr has a commercial airline pilot’s license and a captain’s license, both from the Lufthansa Flight Training School. He spent a short time at Deutsche Aerospace AG in Munich before returning to Lufthansa in October 1994. In October 2004, Spohr was appointed to the management board of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo.
Delta Air Lines named Wayne Gilbert “Gil” West as executive vice president and COO. West will succeed Stephen E. Gorman, who will retire after leading Delta’s operations divisions since 2007. West joined Delta in 2008 as senior vice president, airport customer service. In 2012, he led the airline’s internal maintenance operations at Delta TechOps as well as its maintenance, repair and overhaul provider business. In the role as COO, West will have oversight over areas including Delta TechOps and supply chain management. Before joining Delta, West worked at Laidlaw Transit Services, TIMCO Aviation Services, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and Boeing. Delta named Luciano Macagno as director for Brazil. Luciano joins Delta from LATAM Airlines where, until recently, he served as head of international sales and marketing for Brazil. Before joining the airline industry in 2009, Luciano held several positions at DANONE and Ambev in Argentina.
MAINTENANCE & MANUFACTURERS
Airbus promoted Rafael Alonso to the newly created position of president, Airbus Latin America and Caribbean region. With more than 30 years in the aviation industry, Alonso has spent most of his career in Latin America, having led Airbus’ presence there since the late 1980s. Alonso began his career in 1981 as an engineer with Boeing in Seattle. In 1983, he joined Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. in Madrid. In 1984, he was seconded to Airbus in Toulouse, France, as regional sales manager for the Latin America region, and he held various positions in the company. Alonso most recently was executive vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean customer affairs, a position he has held since 2011.
THIRD PARTIES
Carsten Hernig is the new managing director of Jettainer GmbH, a service partner for outsourced ULD management. Until the end of March, Hernig led the company in collaboration with Alexander Plümacher, who led Jettainer for six years and left the company at his own request on April 1. Hernig has worked at the Lufthansa group of companies for 15 years. Most recently, he was regional director for South Asia, the Middle East and Pakistan, based in New Delhi, where he was responsible for station operation, sales and marketing in 19 countries.
Mike Parra was appointed CEO of DHL Express in the U.S. Parra most recently served as senior vice president of network operations for the DHL Express Americas region. He replaces Ian Clough, who served as DHL Express U.S. CEO since 2009. Parra started his career with DHL Express in 1997 as service center manager in South Florida and held a variety of senior management roles in U.S. operations. Since 2011, Parra has been responsible for all aspects of the Americas region network operations. Prior to DHL, he worked for 10 years with TNT Express Worldwide.
UPS named John Menna vice president of global strategy for health care logistics. Bill Hook, a 20-year health care logistics industry expert, is retiring after joining UPS in 2000 with the acquisition of Livingston Healthcare Services, Inc. Menna, a 28-year UPS veteran, was previously vice president of planning and revenue management. He also served as director of customer technology, vice president of marketing in Latin America and the Caribbean for UPS. Hook will take a senior advisory role at the company to ensure a seamless transition over the coming months.
Sean Kelly became Purolator International’s vice president, field sales and services. Kelly was previously Western U.S. district manager. He will be responsible for the company’s five U.S. districts – Central, Eastern, Great Lakes, Southern and Western. Kelly began his career as an auditor before joining Purolator International as director of finance and administration in 2004. He was previously based in Los Angeles, but in his new position, the Long Island, N.Y., native returns to New York.