Mass transportation innovator Virgin Hyperloop has hired Raja Narayanan as chief financial officer.
Narayanan most recently was a senior vice president for the Hyundai-Aptiv autonomous driving joint venture. Prior to that, he was with OneWeb, leading “the creation of a financially compelling offering for commercial aviation,” Virgin Hyperloop said.
He also was a vice president at Panasonic and led the deployment of a strategic plan for the Internet of Things-based automation of the appliances business unit.
“Raja has an unprecedented background in creating value in disruptive transportation opportunities and operationalizing large-scale industrial projects,” said Virgin Hyperloop CEO Jay Walder. “We are excited to have him join Virgin Hyperloop at this pivotal time where the world is adapting to the new normal and realizing we need solutions like hyperloop that allow us to not just rebuild but evolve.”
Based in Los Angeles, Virgin Hyperloop says it is the first company in the world to have successfully tested hyperloop technology at scale and launched the first new mode of mass transportation in more than 100 years.
“I have built my career around things that fly and things that move,” Narayanan said, adding that he was excited to join a “company truly pioneering the future of autonomous mass transit. I am convinced in the value of hyperloop to unlock exponential growth and impact millions in generations to come by creating a safe, sustainable mode of transportation.”
FlexiVan
Intermodal chassis leasing provider FlexiVan, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, has appointed Katie Bennett as general counsel.
Bennett has more than 14 years of legal and business experience in a range of industries, including logistics, technology and financial services. Most recently she was the general counsel for Premier Trailer Leasing Inc. in Texas.
“Katie’s extensive legal expertise across a broad range of disciplines, especially her work related to governance, compliance, technology and intellectual property, combined with her industry experience in the equipment leasing space, is a rare skill set that will undoubtedly benefit FlexiVan’s development going forward,” said FlexiVan CEO Ron Widdows.
Widdows said Bennett joins the company at a critical time following the merger between FlexiVan and American Intermodal Management that was announced earlier this year.
“With various integration efforts underway, her wealth of legal experience will be instrumental in helping to develop the new FlexiVan organization,” he said.
Port of Oakland
Andreas Cluver has been elected president of the Port of Oakland’s governing board.
Cluver, the secretary-treasurer of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Alameda County, succeeds Ces Butner as board president. Butner, the founder of Oakland-based Horizon Beverage, will remain on the board as a commissioner.
Barbara Leslie, the Oakland Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, was elected first vice president. Oakland architect Yui Hay Lee was selected as second vice president. Community activist Arabella Martinez was reappointed to the board.
Cluver has been a member of the board since 2016.
Port of Long Beach
Sharon L. Weissman has taken a seat at the Long Beach Harbor Commission board table.
Weissman, the recently retired senior adviser and transportation deputy to Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, this month participated in her first meeting as a member of the board that oversees the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Harbor Department.
Garcia appointed Weissman to replace Tracy Egoscue, whose term expired June 30. Commissioners are appointed by the mayor to six-year terms.
Weissman began working for Garcia in 2013 as chief of staff while he was vice mayor. Currently the president of the Long Beach Public Library Foundation, she also has served on the boards of the Arts Council for Long Beach, the Long Beach Symphony and Fair Housing Foundation.
Tigers
Tigers Ltd. said it has appointed Jana Schebera as managing director for China to add “a further layer of freight-forwarding expertise as the logistics provider continues to find growth in Asia.”
Schebera’s previous positions include managing director for Hong Kong and South China for Rhenus Logistics and business development roles at M+R Spedag Group.
“What attracted me to join Tigers was the strong focus on IT solutions and the emphasis on adding value for our customers through technology, which is quite different from traditional freight forwarding and logistics,” she said. “Furthermore, Tigers has a strong global footprint in B2C logistics, which I definitely see as the future of the industry.”
Headquartered in Hong Kong with 70 offices in 11 countries, Tigers specializes in tailored supply chain solutions, e-fulfillment and transportation by air, sea, rail and road.
CSafe Global
Based in Miami, Caputo has more than 25 years of leadership and sales experience in Central and South America. Most recently he managed va-Q-tec’s health care and logistics business development in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Florida.
CSafe Global, a provider of temperature-controlled container solutions for the transport of life-enhancing pharmaceuticals, has hired Denis Caputo as director of life science sales for Latin America.
Boris Eterovic, CSafe Global’s senior director of life sciences in the Americas, said Caputo’s “in-depth expertise in supply chain management and customer relations for the pharmaceutical industry across Latin America will provide CSafe customers an accomplished partner in solving their most difficult shipping challenges.”
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CSafe Global has a presence in 150 countries, providing end-to-end thermal shipping solutions to the pharmaceutical and life science industries.
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