Delta Cargo, a product of Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), has brought on a vice president of cargo operations and logistics. Rob Walpole, formerly of Dubai-based global port operator DP World, will be the first person to step into the airline’s new role.
With his new title, Walpole will be responsible for leading Delta Cargo’s global operations and Delta Logistics Control Center team. This is a sizable task, seeing as Delta Cargo reaches more than 310 destinations in 54 countries on six continents, carrying more than 2.2 billion cargo tons each year.
“Rob has a strong operational background and brings extensive leadership experience in the logistics and supply chain sector,” said Shawn Cole, vice president of Delta Cargo, in a statement. “We look forward to his contributions as we continue to build on the record operational performance achieved in the first half of 2019.”
Walpole served as chief operating officer of global logistics and supply chain while at DP World. He also has served as CEO of Schenker Inc., an integrated logistics service provider. According to a media release from Delta, Walpole has held various leadership roles in Singapore and Australia, where he began his career in the energy sector with Exxon-Mobile.
Matt Weisenburg and Mark DeFrancesco also have been appointed to Delta Cargo’s leadership team in recent weeks.
Weisenburg has taken on the title of director of cargo strategy and alliances and is responsible for the airline’s strategic planning, according to a Delta media release. Weisenburg previously served on Delta’s commercial team. His predecessor, Lindsey Jalil, moved to another position within Delta.
DeFrancesco has been appointed managing director of revenue management, capacity and forecasting. He is responsible for optimizing revenue and delivering insights through best-in-class revenue management techniques, capacity and network management and forecasting, according to the release. DeFrancesco previously served on Delta’s domestic pricing team and brings nearly 20 years of revenue management experience to the position.
Delta, alongside other U.S. airlines, has seen sharper declines in traffic this year. The new members of the leadership team may be plotting out moves to turn that trend around.
“These changes complete our strong leadership team as we continue to focus on providing our customers with industry-leading products and services, as well as growing our international network,” Cole said.
Editor’s note: FreightWaves has a SONAR business relationship with Delta. However, editorial decisions are made independently.