New CEO takes the reins at hartrodt

Newly appointed managing director and CEO of freight forwarding and logistics major a. hartrodt, Guido Ghiselli, brings to the position extensive experience in the industry from both sides of the spectrum – as customer and service provider. Born and raised in Bologna in Italy, he studied mechanics at a technical institute before joining the automatic machinery manufacturing field – in particular for the tobacco industry. After six years in Italy, he took up a senior position at the company’s Japanese office. “As technical director I was in charge of service procurement and assistance, so although I wasn’t directly involved with shipments in terms of booking and documentation, I was on the receiving end of procurement and was in charge of establishing the logistics for the supply of spare parts to customers and factories,” Ghiselli told FTW. This was the perfect platform for his next move to a. hartrodt, Japan where he headed up the operation. “Coming from a manufacturing background I was able to provide a different perspective – I knew about the service needs of customers and this has been hugely valuable in my new role in the logistics space.” Having lived and worked for almost 20 years in a mature market like Japan where service and facilities are first world, Ghiselli believes he has much value to offer in the South African context where he intends to replicate the tried and tested standards and systems. The priority, he says, will be to grow the South African company’s visibility and market its strengths. He also sees tremendous potential in over-border trade and outgoing MD Gerald Rowe, who will continue with the company until the end of next year, will be pushing the Africa agenda. And this will not only be on a local basis but from a group perspective, he said. “In a nutshell it will be all about reinforcing our identity as a privately owned international network which is one of our strengths.” CAPTION Guido Ghiselli