Who’s on the move: September 5, 2022

Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems has appointed Mircea Gradu as chief engineering officer. He previously led engineering and quality at Hyundai Motor America, served as vice-president, transmission powertrain and driveline for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, as executive director, engineering at Timken Automotive, and in product development and engineering project management roles at Schaeffler Group and Daimler AG. He was most recently senior vice-president, automotive programs at Velodyne Lidar. A former president and chairman of the board of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, Gradu is also an adjunct professor at the University of California Irvine. He holds a Doctorate in Engineering from the Technical University of Stuttgart, an MSME from the Politechnica University of Bucharest, was awarded 56 patents, and honored with the Edward N. Cole Award for Automotive Engineering Innovation.

Syspro

Jaco Maritz has been appointed global CEO of Syspro, while co-founder Phil Duff will be stepping into the role of executive chairman. Syspro will remain a privately owned business. Maritz’s appointment is a result of a transition plan that was implemented when he took on the role of chief operations officer in 2019.

Women of Trucking Advisory Board 

Elisabeth Barna, the American Trucking Association‘s executive vice-president of industry affairs, has been appointed to the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Women of Trucking Advisory Board. Mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, WOTAB will bring together trucking industry stakeholders to focus on the recruitment, retention, support, and safety of women commercial motor vehicle drivers. Barna has represented the trucking industry for 32 years, working directly with women drivers through ATA’s safety and education programs like the America’s Road Team, Share the Road and Workforce Heroes. Most recently, she helped ATA form Women in Motion, an industry-led initiative to accelerate women’s rise in the trucking industry. In addition, the following representatives from ATA-member companies were also named to WOTAB:

• Joyce Brenny, Owner-Operator, Brenny Transportation
• Marie Druckenmiller, Director of Transportation, Amazon
• Laura Duryea, Manager of Recruiting, Retention, and Driver Development, Boyle Transportation
• Marquita Jones, Professional Driver, J.B. Hunt
• Emily Plummer, Professional Driver, Prime Inc.

Bolloré Logistics USA

Marc Sawaya has been appointed chief executive officer of Bolloré Logistics USA. He will report directly to Yves Laforgue, CEO of Bolloré Logistics for the Americas. With more than 20 years of experience in supply chain management, including 10 with Bolloré Logistics, was regional director for Central Region in Canada and sales director for the Americas.