UPS has appointed Jim Barber as new president of the UPS Europe Region with responsibility forEurope, the Middle East and Africa, in place of long-serving Wolfgang Flick who is retiring.
Barber, 51, most recently served as the chief operations officer of the Europe Region. In hisnew role, the 26-year UPS veteran will be responsible for all UPS package, cargo and logisticsoperations in 120 countries and territories with more than 40,000 employees.
“Throughout his career with UPS, Jim has excelled in leadership positions in both the UnitedStates and Europe and we’re confident that he’s going to make a tremendous impact on our EuropeRegion,” said Dan Brutto, president, UPS International. “The Europe Region represents roughly halfof UPS’s international revenue so this is a critical assignment and one that’s very important tothe future of UPS.”
Barber joined UPS in 1985 as a delivery driver in Georgia, USA, and moved up through variousregional management positions. In 2004, he moved to Europe as Europe Region Controller in Brusselsand then became head of UK and Ireland from 2006 to 2010 before moving back to Brussels. In the UKhe oversaw the integration of Lynx Express, acquired in 2005, the opening of the $105 millionTamworth ground hub in 2008, the company’s second-largest facility in Europe, and started preparingfor UPS’ role as the official logistics and express delivery provider at the 2012 London Olympics.
Meanwhile, Wolfgang Flick is retiring after 35 years of service to UPS, including the last 7½years as president of the Europe Region. He is a “Day One” employee of UPS’s first expansion beyondNorth America, when the company launched its German operation in 1976.
Flick originally joined the company as a centre supervisor in Giessen, Germany, and by 1991had become district manager of the Cologne Air / International District. After a short time in theUSA, he became head of South Europe, then of Germany and finally, in 2004, of the Europe Region.During his tenure, Flick oversaw UPS’ expansion of its European air hub in Cologne, construction ofthe healthcare campus in The Netherlands, and acquisitions in Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.
“Wolfgang deserves the credit for initially establishing UPS’s European air network,designing and opening the Cologne air hub and putting together the pieces of that air operation,”Brutto noted. “His vision and leadership also were instrumental in successfully transforming ourEuropean network into an integrated supply chain service provider. He’s played a leading role inbuilding UPS’s international infrastructure.”
