C.H. Robinson has appointed Robert Biesterfeld as chief executive officer (CEO) to replace current chairman and CEO John Wiehoff – who will remain chairman of the board.
Biesterfeld is currently the company’s chief operating officer (COO), and was appointed to that position in March 2018. Scott Anderson, current C.H. Robinson board member, will become the lead independent director.
The US-headquartered freight forwarder said the moves will become effective on 9 May, 2019, coinciding with the annual meeting of shareholders.
Biesterfeld has been C.H. Robinson for 20 years. Prior to becoming COO in March 2018, he was president, North America surface transportation. He also served as vice president, truckload and vice president, Robinson Fresh. He started his career in Robinson Fresh in 1999.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead and to serve our more than 15,000 employees across the globe,” said Biesterfeld. “C.H. Robinson has always led the industry through our talented people and high performing culture, and we will continue to combine that with a focus on driving innovation and digital transformation.
“We are accelerating our investments in emerging technology to further transform how we create value within our global ecosystem of over 124,000 customers and 76,000 active contract carriers.
“I am highly confident we will leverage our experience and scale to provide an unmatched information advantage for our customers, carriers and employees, and continue to deliver strong returns to our shareholders.”
