Executive Moves: YRC Worldwide, Bahri, GAC Group and the Tanker FFA Brokers Association

YRC Worldwide CEO intends to retire; Bahri appoints new CEO; the GAC Group names managing director of GAC North America – Logistics; and the Tanker FFA Brokers Association elects chairman.    James Welch, CEO of YRC Worldwide Inc., a less-than-truckload holding company headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., has informed the board of directors of his intention to retire from the company on July 31, 2018. He intends to remain as CEO of YRC Worldwide until that date.
   YRC Freight President Darren Hawkins will assume the transitional role of president and chief operating officer of YRC Worldwide, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The board of directors intends to name Hawkins as the successor to Welch as CEO of YRC Worldwide at the July 2018 board meeting.
   Effective Jan. 1, 2018, Reddaway President TJ O’Connor will become president of YRC Freight, while Bob Stone, currently vice president of operations at Reddaway, will become president of Reddaway.

   Bahri, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, has appointed Abdullah Aldubaikhi as the company’s new CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018. Aldubaikhi is joining Bahri from Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co., where he has served as CEO since 2012. During his career, spanning three decades, Aldubaikhi has held various senior management roles at firms such as Afwaf Investment, Awalnet and DowLog Technology Co., which he co-founded in 1993.
   He is a member of the joint business councils between Saudi Arabia and the nations of Canada, Russia and France; and sits on the board of directors of various local and global companies, such as Bank Alkhair, Alessa Industries, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. W.L.L., G3 Global Grain Group, and United Farmers Holding Co.

   The GAC Group, a Dubai-based integrated shipping, logistics and marine services provider, has named industry veteran Patrik Ziegler to serve as managing director of GAC North America – Logistics. Ziegler, who will be based in Houston, has over 30 years of experience in logistics, and oil and gas.

   The Tanker FFA Brokers Association, which represents the worldwide community of tanker forward freight agreement brokers, has elected Pat Donnelly of Braemar ACM-GFI to serve as chairman, succeeding Ben Courtney of ICAP Energy, who has chaired the group since 2016. Donnelly joined Braemar ACM-GFI in 2012, where he focuses on tanker FFAs. In addition, he has previously been active as a broker for liquid petroleum gas, fuel oil and dry FFAs.