JF Hillebrand Group Announces New Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board Appointments

MAINZ, Germany, November 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

JF Hillebrand Group AG today announces the appointment of Christophe Bernard as Chief Executive Officer. Gerard Desbois, who served as the company's CEO since 2000, will now join the Supervisory Board.

Mr Bernard joined JF Hillebrand in 1983 and has been an Executive Board member for the past sixteen years. During his time with the company, he has been stationed in France, Australia and the USA, and is currently based in Singapore.

"I am honoured to serve as CEO of the JF Hillebrand Group," said Mr Bernard. "I will make sure that we remain true to the values and spirit which have made this company such a success, and also that we build on our successes and take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead."

The Group has also made several other changes at Executive Board level, with the appointments of Pierre Benichou as Deputy CEO, Gavin Herman as Chief Operating Officer, Leendert Vis as Chief Information Officer, and Pierre Bonel as Chief Commercial Officer. Kevin Brock remains Chief Financial Officer. All appointments are effective January 1^st 2014.

"Our shareholders are very supportive of the experienced management team," added Mr Bernard. "They strongly believe in our ability to drive growth, create new opportunities for our customers and ourselves, and in doing so write a few more pages in the amazing success story of the JF Hillebrand Group. The appointments we have made at Board level enhance our organizational framework, and position the company for future and long-term success."

Under the leadership of Gerard Desbois, the JF Hillebrand Group solidified its position as the world's leading specialist logistics company, with organic growth underpinned by strategic acquisitions. The company today has operations in 83 countries worldwide and will report revenues of over €1billion in 2013.

"It has been a privilege for all of us to work under the leadership of Gerard Desbois and we wish him all the best for the future," Mr Bernard added.

"I am extremely proud to have contributed to the development of such a wonderful and successful company," said Mr Desbois. "The shareholders and I have every confidence that Christophe's vision, experience and drive will translate into remarkable success in leading the JF Hillebrand Group as our next CEO."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the JF Hillebrand Group:

The JF Hillebrand Group operates a global portfolio of specialist logistics companies, across a range of industry sectors. The company operates two key brands: JF Hillebrand in the global beverage segment and Trans Ocean in the industrial bulk market.

With a global network headquartered in Mainz, Germany, the JF Hillebrand Group employs 2000 people in 48 wholly owned offices around the world. In 2012, the company reported a throughput of over 500,000 TEU's.

Founded in 1844, JF Hillebrand celebrates 170 years of continuous trading in 2014.

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