Miami, Fl., USA - December 19, 2012, Miami, Fl., USA - Ryder System, Inc., a commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company, announced that chairman and chief executive officer Gregory T. Swienton will retire, effective May 3, 2013.
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Mr. Swienton was appointed Chairman of Ryder System, Inc. in May 2002 having been named Chief Executive Officer in November 2000. Mr. Swienton joined Ryder as President and Chief Operating Officer in June 1999.
Before joining Ryder, Mr. Swienton was Senior Vice President - Growth Initiatives of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF). Prior to that, he was BNSF's Senior Vice President - Coal and Agricultural Commodities Business Unit and previously had been Senior Vice President of its Industrial and Consumer Units. He joined the former Burlington Northern Railroad in June 1994 as Executive Vice President - Intermodal Business Unit.
Prior to joining Burlington Northern, Mr. Swienton was Executive Director - Europe and Africa of DHL Worldwide Express in Brussels, Belgium from 1991 to 1994, and prior to that, he was DHL's Managing Director - Western and Eastern Europe from 1988 to 1990, also located in Brussels. For the five years prior to these assignments,
Mr. Swienton was Regional Vice President of DHL Airways, Inc. in the United States. From 1971 to 1982, Mr. Swienton held various national account, sales and marketing positions with AT&T and Illinois Bell Telephone Company. Mr. Swienton was elected to the Board of Directors in June 1999 and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
As part of the succession plan approved by Ryder’s Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2013, Ryder’s President and Chief Operating Officer Robert E. Sanchez, will assume the Company’s chief executive role, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Swienton will then serve in the role of Executive Chairman until the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders, at which time, Mr. Sanchez will become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As an added measure of continuity through the transition, Mr. Swienton has agreed to serve in an advisory capacity for a period of time following his retirement.
Mr. Sanchez is a 19-year employee of Ryder who has served in senior executive leadership positions in operations, finance, and information technology. He has been a member of the Company’s Executive Leadership Team since 2003. Mr. Sanchez most recently held the role of President and Chief Operating Officer, in which he was responsible for the general management of all business operations.
Prior to that, he served as President of Global Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Ryder’s largest business segment. Earlier, he served in a broad range of leadership positions for the corporation and each of its business segments, including: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ryder System, Inc.; Executive Vice President of Operations (FMS); Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Ryder System, Inc.; Senior Vice President of Transportation Management within Supply Chain Solutions (SCS); and Vice President of Asset Management (FMS). ■