BURNS STEPS DOWN AS RYDER CEO

BURNS STEPS DOWN AS RYDER CEO    Ryder System Inc., a transportation and logistics provider based in Miami, said Thursday that M. Anthony Burns will retire Nov. 1 as the company’s chief executive officer.
   Gregory T. Swienton, Ryder’s president and chief operating officer, will succeed Burns as CEO.
   Burns will continue as chairman of Ryder’s board of directors, on which Swienton has a seat.
   “I have been chief executive officer for almost 18 years,” said Burns, 58. “My decision to retire at this time is part of an organized plan I have been discussing with the board for several years.”
   Burns, who has worked for Ryder since 1974, is also on the boards of Chase Manhattan, J.C. Penney, and Pfizer.
   Before joining Ryder in 1999, Swienton was senior vice president, growth initiatives, for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Previously, he had been executive director for Europe and Africa at DHL Worldwide Network.