Derk van Mackelenbergh has been appointed president of the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA).
An industry veteran who has extensive experience of the international association world, Mr van Mackelenbergh, who is also ceo at Eurofrigo, will ensure that the association continues to innovate. In addition, he is well known for his participation with the US-headquartered Global Cold Chain Alliance.
Mr van Mackelenbergh said: 'We are a modern industry and we want a modern organisation to defend our interests in Brussels, Strasbourg and in national capitals. We are going to build that fast, strengthen our voice at EU level and work to get a joined up approach across the EU's member countries.'
Meanwhile, Austrian national Christine Weiker is the new secretary general of ECSLA, responsible for both the critical EU representation and lobbying brief, as well as member services.
Ms Weiker said: 'It's an exciting prospect to steer ECSLA towards new relevance for its members and greater prominence in Brussels. Top priorities will be to help ceos across our industry better understand the impact of EU decisions on their business operations and on their bottom lines and ensure ECSLA becomes a more pro-active and influential player at EU level.'
She is supported in her role by newly-appointed strategy and business development advisor, Eamonn Bates, a Brussels veteran with 30 years of experience in both association management and EU government relations strategy.
'In the old days, managers in companies controlled all the critical elements that would make their businesses a success,' said Mr Bates.
'That's no longer true. We live in a super-regulated society where political or policy decisions can make or break a business. These are decisions that company executives don't control. So the best top managers today are also effective lobbyists. We hope to make ECSLA the meeting place and training ground for the temperature controlled supply chain.'
The European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA) is the voice of the industry at EU level. It represents the interests of thousands of refrigerated storage facilities and logistics operators throughout Europe.
ECSLA's Winter conference takes place from 24 to 26 February in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Conference sessions include: Fire & Ice, fire safety & fire prevention; The horsemeat scandal, the impact of the scandal on the sector; The Future of Refrigeration, the new EU F-gas legislation.
For more information or to register visit
www.ecsla.eu