Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has created a new position for global airfreight director – perishables and brought in Natasha Solano-Vesela, who will be responsible for the strategic development of the division.

Natasha Solano-Vesela has been in the transport and logistics sector for about 25 years, with posts at international logistics players like Maersk and Kühne+Nagel. She also handled European sales at Hellmann Perishables Logistics (HPL) before that.

Hellmann’s newfound interest in the perishables business follows the complete takeover of the Peruvian joint venture Hellmann Worldwide Logistics last summer. The forwarder said the segment, considered one of the growth drivers in the industry, will be ‘expanded on a sustainable basis’ in the next few years.

“Hellmann has been active in the perishables sector for over 20 years. Since then, we have continuously invested in the expansion of our network, so that today we are successfully represented in all relevant markets. We now hope to build on this solid foundation and expand our market share in the perishables sector. A key milestone on this growth path was the full acquisition of the Peruvian joint venture Hellmann Worldwide Logistics S.A.C. last year, which has enabled us to expand the service portfolio for our customers and generate further sustainable growth in Peru and the entire Americas region. We are very happy that we were able to bring Natasha Solano-Vesela back on board and have thus also created the personnel conditions to implement our growth targets together with her and our global team,” said Jan Kleine-Lasthues, chief operating officer – airfreight at Hellmann.