Career Tracks: Dachser promotes CFO Eling to CEO

GlobalTranz puts Foe in charge of branches, and Norfolk Southern’s Bayles joins CII board

Dachser has promoted Burkhard Eling to chief executive officer. (Photo: Dachser)

Burkhard Eling took the helm as chief executive officer of logistics provider Dachser on New Year’s Day.

Eling also will serve as the executive board spokesman and head corporate strategy, human resources, marketing, corporate key account management and governance and compliance.

He succeeded Bernhard Simon, who will take over as chairman of the supervisory board of the family-owned company in mid-2021. Also moving to the supervisory board is Michael Schilling, the former chief operations officer for Road Logistics.

Also effective Jan. 1, two longtime Dachser managers were promoted to the executive board. They are Sefan Hohm, the chief development officer, and Road Logistics COO Alexander Tonn

Eling joined Dachser in 2012 as deputy head of the finance, legal and tax unit. He was promoted to CFO the following year.

“My fellow board members and I are taking over an extremely robust and fast-growing company that even the challenges of the coronavirus crisis haven’t managed to throw off course,” Eling said. “With their tremendous know-how and commitment, the people at Dachser have succeeded in maintaining the supply chains of our global customers even under adverse conditions.” 

Eling’s successor as CFO is Robert Erni, who took on the role Jan. 1 after a four-month induction and transition phase. He previously was the group CFO for Panalpina. 

Kempten, Germany-headquartered Dachser has about 31,000 employees and 393 locations around the world. It provides transport logistics, warehousing and customized services through its two units: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Road Logistics.   

GlobalTranz

Third-party logistics solutions provider GlobalTranz Enterprises LLC has appointed Bryan Foe to the position of senior vice president of branches.

Foe will be responsible for overall P&L management of all branches that are part of GlobalTranz’s direct channel business in the United States and Mexico. He joins GlobalTranz after a 27-year tenure with C.H. Robinson, where he held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in the United States and Europe. 

Ross Spanier, executive vice president of direct sales and operations at GlobalTranz, said Foe’s “management caliber and varied logistics experience will help further grow GlobalTranz’s branch network. His ability to create and lead empowered teams that create value-enhancing solutions will help GlobalTranz deepen and widen long-term strategic relationships.”

GlobalTranz said in a statement that the company is “driving strong growth with over 25,000 shipping customers through technology innovation, a network of more than 120 less-than-truckload and over 50,000 best-in-class truckload carriers, transformative M&A, innovative technology and service offerings, an industry-leading independent agent network and superior customer service delivered by some of the best people in the industry.” 

Containerization & Intermodal Institute

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) has appointed Randy Bayles, group manager of ports at Norfolk Southern Corp., to its board of directors for a three-year term.

Bayles has more than 35 years of supply chain and intermodal experience, including 22 years with Norfolk Southern, where he is responsible for business development at all intermodal and automotive ports in the United States and Canada. Prior to joining Norfolk Southern, he worked for such companies as Yellow Freight System, Roadway Package System and National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia.

The nonprofit CII promotes industry awareness, preserves the history of intermodalism, and engages scholarly interest in the field by organizing educational conferences and seminars, serving as an information resource, providing networking opportunities and facilitating scholarships. 

Illinois Railroad Association

The Illinois Railroad Association said that after decades serving the freight rail industry and leading the organization since 1998, Joseph Ciaccio has retired. The association announced that after a lengthy search, it has named Michelle R. Kelm as executive director.

Ciaccio joined the Illinois Railroad Association in 1986 after serving as an attorney with the Illinois House Democratic staff and as manager of government affairs for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Kelm comes to the organization with nearly 25 years of executive experience in both public service and private government affairs.

Headquartered in Springfield, the Illinois Railroad Association is a nonprofit trade organization established in 1951 to represent the interests of freight railroads operating in Illinois and related businesses in the state. Association members include all seven Class I railroads operating in the United States, numerous regional and shortline railroads and the Railway Supply Institute. The association’s executive committee is composed of representatives from Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, The Belt Railway Co. of Chicago, CN, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific, CSX and Indiana Harbor Belt Railway Co.

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Click for more American Shipper/FreightWaves stories by Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills.

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Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.