SEKO Logistics (SEKO) has announced the appointment of Maxime Bessiere as the new chief commercial Officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective immediately.
In a statement, the end-to-end global logistics company said Bessiere will be stepping into the role as long-time leader and one of four founders of SEKO's UK division, David Emerson, steps down effective December 31.
As chief commercial officer, EMEA, SEKO noted that Bessiere would be responsible for driving sales growth, vertical market development, account management, solution design, implementation, corporate marketing communications, strategic tender pricing, sustainability and commercial operations in the EMEA region, including the UK and Ireland.
He joins SEKO after nearly five years at Kerry Logistics EMEA, where he served a dual role as commercial director of EMEA and cluster managing director of Sweden, Poland, Belgium, Czech Republic and South Africa.
Prior to Kerry Logistics, Bessiere spent 11 years at GEODIS in the Asia-Pacific region in a series of positions, his last being as sales and marketing director for China and Hong Kong.
"The global leadership team is thrilled to welcome such a highly recognized leader like Maxime, who brings extensive leadership experience in traditional freight forwarding, contract logistics and e-commerce in EMEA to our team," said Simon Pinto, President of EMEA.
James Gagne, SEKO's President & CEO, adds, "We are sincerely grateful to David as SEKO would not be where we are today without him. SEKO is excited to see where he embarks on his next journey."
SEKO noted that under Emerson's commercial leadership, SEKO expanded beyond its US borders for the first time into the UK in 2003.
He and other members of the SEKO leadership team then helped to take the company global over the past 20 years, expanding into Europe, Asia and across the Americas. With his expertise in e-commerce, he helped establish SEKO as one of the first companies to enter the market in 2011.
In 2022, SEKO launched a dedicated e-commerce business unit.
"I'm extremely proud of all SEKO has accomplished in the last 20 years and have the utmost confidence in Maxime," said Emerson. "His knowledge of e-commerce, as well as traditional freight forwarding, will be a significant asset to SEKO, and I wish him all the best. I'll always be an advocate for SEKO."
Growth in the EMEA region
The EMEA region continues to see robust growth along with recent facility expansions in Paris, Rotterdam, Lyon and across the United Kingdom.
SEKO said opening in the next two months, the new warehouse in Lyon will support the growth of our customers with new storage facilities, as well as our global customers by enhancing our fulfilment and e-commerce solutions.
"It's a privilege to be SEKO's new CCO, EMEA. I've been able to witness SEKO's strength in the logistics industry, thanks to David, James and others, as global e-commerce demand has continued to increase," said Bessiere.
"I'm looking forward to being part of this team of experts, guiding the overall strategy and sales in EMEA to ensure our clients have the best logistics partner," he added.
SEKO said Bessiere is based in SEKO's EMEA headquarters in Paris, France.
