Strain, who was also previously director of logistics for General Motors International Operations and at its Asia Pacific unit, started with the carmaker in 1998 as logistics manager in Argentina.
Vehicle components supplier Delphi has appointed Eddie Wright as its new Asia Pacific Logistic director replacing David Zhang who is moving to a new role as regional program manager of Infotainment and Driver Interface at Delphi Electronics and Safety, Asia Pacific.
Wright will take up the role at the beginning of February and will be responsible for all logistics sourcing, performance and strategy development in the region. Wright has held a number of assignments in production control and global supply management at Delphi. He moves to Asia from his role as North American category manager for Supply Chain Services, based in Texas.
In Zhang’s new role, meanwhile, he will be responsible for all aspects of customer programs at the unit.
“We congratulate Eddie and David on their new assignments and are confident they will continue to make significant contributions toward Delphi’s success,” said a spokesperson on behalf of Delphi.
Frederick Beelaerts van Blokland has become Panalpina’s global head of Industry Verticals Automotive and Manufacturing, replacing Alan Votaw who the company said has left to pursue other career opportunities.
Votaw had held the position since early 2010 but had been with Panalpina since 2002 when he joined as regional account manager, rising to become vice president of Global Key Account Management the following year.
Beelaerts van Blokland, who was previously chief operating officer at Kuehne + Nagel’s Airbus division, has also held senior positions at DB Schenker as vice president, Automotive SCM/CL and at TDS Automotive Europe as vice president of operations.
DB Schenker has appointed Petra Küster as the new chief financial officer (CFO) of Schenker UK, replacing Per Holst-Nielsen who has taken up a new position as CEO of the Air & Ocean division for DB Schenker in Sweden.
Küster, who moves over from her position as CFO at DB Schenker Canada, has also been appointed the first female board member at Schenker in the UK.
“I am very happy to welcome Petra to the UK organisation, she has a great financial background and will bring many advantages especially in terms of understanding different business cultures,” said Helgi Ingolfsson, CEO of Schenker Limited. “Furthermore, not only due to her qualifications and experience, having our first female UK board member is a bonus. This helps towards the Deutsche Bahn goal as well, which is to increase the proportion of women in top management positions within the group.”
Küster started her career in the banking sector in Germany before moving to the UK where she completed a BSc in Business Studies. In 1995 she started working in the treasury department of E.ON before joining DB Schenker in 1998, where she held various financial roles based in Germany, before moving to Canada in 2007 as CFO.
The head of Daimler’s truck division, Andreas Renschler, has been appointed chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Board of Directors at the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association for 2013. He replaces Harrie Schippers, president of DAF, who chaired the board last year.
Renschler started at Daimler in 1988 and was previously executive vice president of the Mercedes car division and head of business for Smart from 1999 until 2004 when he joined the board of management at Daimler. Daimler’s logistics division ultimately reports to him.
Renschler has his work cut out for him as chairman of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board, with 2012 sales down on the previous year more than 11% and not expected to recover in the coming year.
"Against this backdrop it is imperative that we have an industrial policy and regulatory framework that enable us to remain competitive," said Renschler. "In these challenging times, policy makers must be wary of the real risks of placing an undue burden on our industry though costly and often inconsistent legislative measures. In line with the main conclusions of CARS 21 and CARS 2020, in 2013 we will therefore continue to push for smarter, more coordinated and 'competitiveness-proofed' regulation for our sector."
