Seafrigo targets growth with new CEO
08 / 11 / 2024
Bruno Planaz. Source: Seafrigo
Cool chain logistics firm Seafrigo Group has appointed Bruno Plantaz as its new group chief executive, with company founder, Eric Barbé, stepping up to the role of president.
Seafrigo said the two will work closely on delivering the next stage in the company’s global growth plan.
Plantaz, who will be based at the firm’s Le Havre headquarters, brings over two decades of international expertise in freight forwarding and contract logistics to his new role, having previously held senior management positions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia at CEVA Logistics and Kuehne & Nagel (K+N).
“In his new position Bruno Plantaz will be responsible for steering Seafrigo’s global operations and structuring the organisation to implement its long-term growth strategy,” the company said in a press release.
Plantaz added: “This company is a sparkling diamond and now it needs to be polished to shine even brighter. It’s highly customer centric and its entrepreneurial spirit is exceptional; now we need to grow and expand its services to even more countries around the world.
“We have a president whose business development skills are extraordinary and I am delighted to be here to work alongside him and the team he has built over the last 40 years”.
Le Havre-based Seafrigo offers ambient, fresh and frozen transport worldwide by air, ocean and ground transportation, along with logistics and warehousing. While France remains its largest market, it operates in 32 countries on five continents with main products moved including wine, seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables and flowers. It employs a total of 2,500 people worldwide.
It recently moved to a new headquarters, bringing its 300 french team members together for the first time.
The group’s recent acquisitions included, in July 2023, UK-headquartered forwarder Perishables Movements Ltd (PML) which operates at London Heathrow, Lincolnshire and Kent offering air, ocean and road as well as warehousing and value-added services.
The company added that is has plans to expand its refrigerated services to new markets in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia with a number of announcements due over the coming months. It is also considering business possibilities in Australia.
Earlier this year, the company hired Paddie Allen as airfreight director to head up the company’s UK airfreight operations. Meanwhile, in 2023 the company bought UK forwarder PML as it looked to expand in airfreight.
