Jochen Freese joins Forto as EVP of procurement and business development

Digital freight forwarder Forto has appointed ex-Ceva executive Jochen Freese (above) as its executive VP of procurement and business development, confirming news broken by Loadstar Premium in October

“Jochen has a proven track record in helping large, worldwide customers in such industry segments as retail and fashion, hi-tech, healthcare and automotive optimise their transport and logistics,” said Forto CEO and co-founder Michael Wax.

“This customer focus, combined with his experience in building strong products and partnerships, makes him an ideal fit to help us navigate the next stage of Forto’s development,” he added.

Mr Freese joins Forto after serving as chief commercial and marketing officer, and board member, at Ceva Logistics, where he was responsible for driving top line revenue and business development and led the company’s global industry segments – automotive, healthcare, industrial and aerospace, technology, and fashion & retail.

Prior to that he was chief commercial officer for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, which included a period as CEO for Air and Sea Freight, and held a number of roles at UTi Worldwide, which was acquired by DSV in 2015.

Mr Freese will oversee the development and management of the Forto offerings across transport modes, and the teams reporting to him will drive global procurement of transport capacities, management and growth of the Forto partner network, as well as strategic business development.

“The transport and logistics industry is going through a significant evolution,” he said. “The last few years have demonstrated how different segments of the supply chain can affect the ways in which people live and work.

“Transparency and visibility, digitally driven efficiencies and environmental impact are at the top of customers’ supply chain agendas, and they are looking for partners that can support them in these areas”