Ian Keilty joins from foodservice company Sysco, where he was vice president of the European Supply Chain. He was previously chief operating officer at Brakes before its acquisition by Sysco.
Keilty will succeed Liam McElroy, who is stepping down after six years in the role after receiving praise for growing the division. The two will work side-by-side for a transitional period over the coming months.
More than 200 locations
Wincanton claimed to be the largest logistics firm in the UK and Ireland, operating from more than 200 locations with 613,000m2 of warehouse space. It has a fleet of 3,400 vehicles.
Adrian Colman, Wincanton’s chief executive, said Keilty had joined at an “exciting time” to support the ongoing growth strategy for the Retail and Consumer business.
“Finding a successor for Liam has been a difficult challenge and I am delighted to welcome Ian, who will bring fresh strategic thinking and intellectual rigour to the group, backed by a keen interest in our customers and people,” he said.
‘Industry knowledge and insight’
“During his time at Wincanton, Liam has used his considerable energy, industry knowledge and insight to grow our successful Retail and Consumer business, and I am grateful for the significant contribution that he has made to our business and our leadership team.”
Keilty’s work experience included various roles on the operating boards and executive committees at Booker Group and Iceland.
He has a background in engineering and supply chain working for Mars and an MBA from London Business School.
In other supply chain news, haulage and cold storage firm Yearsley Group has been acquired by US-based Lineage Logistics Holdings for an undisclosed sum.