Dachser and Andreas Schmid veteran brings two decades of air and sea experience to role as Gebrüder Weiss targets global expansion of division
Austrian logistics company Gebrüder Weiss has appointed Alessandro Cacciola as chief operating officer air and sea, and a member of the executive board from 1 March.
Cacciola will succeed Lothar Thoma, who will be leaving the company for personal reasons on 31 March, when he will formally hand over responsibility to his successor
“In Alessandro Cacciola, we are gaining an experienced leader who possesses the abilities needed to both ensure continuity and generate new impulses at GW," said Wolfgang Niessner, chair of the Gebrüder Weiss Supervisory Board.
“With his support, we plan to further consolidate our expanding Air & Sea business, and grow our services on a global, future-oriented scale.”
Cacciola brings more than two decades of experience in international logistics to the role. He began his professional career with the logistics provider Dachser; there he held several European sales and executive positions before becoming the head of global sales and a member of the Dachser air & sea logistics management board, helping to power the company's international growth.
In 2019, Cacciola joined the management board of the Andreas Schmid Group and became its chief executive. In this capacity, he was responsible for the organisation’s comprehensive restructuring and globalisation programme.
“Gebrüder Weiss is a top-drawer name in the industry and has always stood for credibility, quality and consistent customer centricity,” Cacciola said. “I am looking forward to meeting my colleagues around the world.
"To my mind, the free-flowing exchange across and beyond national and cultural borders is an essential factor in success, one that also engenders personal motivation.
"The aim will be to drive the further strategic development of the Gebrüder Weiss product palette by placing a premium on service quality, integrative capability and sustainable solutions – thereby keeping the global supply chains resilient and future-proofed.”
Thoma has been a member of the management board at Gebrüder Weiss since 1 September 2019. Under his guidance, the air & sea division "successfully evolved" despite challenging phases in the market, including the Covid pandemic, said Gebrüder Weiss.
Expansion took place during his tenure in the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Poland, Germany and elsewhere.
“Starting with my initial experiences in our family business, I have had the good fortune to spend some 40 successful and eventful years in the logistics industry, getting to know myriad countries and cultures, and working with wonderful people. It was a good time, but now I would like to pursue other interests. I wish Alessandro Cacciola and my team great success and cohesiveness,” Thoma said.
“The company would like to explicitly thank Lothar Thoma for his many accomplishments and wish him all the best for the future,” said Niessner.
