People News: R.J. Corman, RailPros, GPA

Left to Right: Alín Campián, Interim CFO, R.J. Corman; Kyle D'Souza, Vice President, Corporate Development, RailPros; Flavio Batista, CCO, GPA; and Rob Dooley, CFO, GPA. (Images Courtesy of R.J. Corman, RailPros and GPA)

R.J. Corman Railroad Group appoints Alín Campián as Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Also, RailPros hires Kyle D’Souza as Vice President, Corporate Development; and Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) appoints Flavio Batista as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Rob Dooley as CFO.

R.J. Corman

R. J. Corman Railroad Group on June 27 announced that Alín Campián has been appointed as Interim CFO, effective immediately.

Campián, R.J. Corman says, “has been a key contributor to the company’s success since joining in 2020 and brings a wealth of financial expertise and leadership to this role.”

As Interim CFO, Campián will be responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of the company, including yield management, financial planning and analysis, budgeting, reporting, and compliance. He will work closely with the executive team to develop and execute financial strategies that align with the company’s overall goals and objectives.

In his previous position as Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Yield Management, Campián played “a crucial role in ensuring that R. J. Corman maintains a competitive position in the transportation and logistics industry and propelled the company toward greater analytical precision, the use of data driven metrics, and revenue optimization processes across the R. J. Corman platform.”

Prior to joining R. J. Corman, Campián held positions with Patriot Rail, Florida East Coast Railway, and CSX. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and several graduate degrees, including a master’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration in Financial Management from the North Carolina State University.

“Alín has consistently demonstrated exceptional financial acumen and strategic vision during his time with R. J. Corman,” said R.J. Corman President and CEO Ed Quinn. “We have full confidence in his ability to lead our financial operations and drive continued growth during this interim period.”

“Campián’s extensive experience in the transportation and logistics industry, combined with his deep understanding of financial markets, data-driven decision-making, and strong collaborative skills make him well-suited to lead the company’s financial functions during this transition period and continue to make significant contributions to the company’s financial performance,” the company noted in a release.

RailPros

Irving, Texas-based RailPros on June 27 announced that it has hired Kyle D’Souza as Vice President, Corporate Development. He will report to CEO Kendall Koff and be based out of the company’s headquarters.

D’Souza brings more than a decade of experience in business valuation and corporate development, “solidifying his reputation as a results-oriented Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) professional with a passion for creating value through strategic transactions, planning and execution.” D’Souza, the company adds, “has a proven track record of success in identifying and evaluating growth opportunities, negotiating and closing deals.” His previous roles included leading corporate development initiatives that focused on portfolio optimization through M&A and delivering financial modeling and valuation services to Fortune 500, public, private and international companies. This experience, combined with his certification as a Certified Public Accountant, “underscores his capability and commitment to excellence,” RailPros stated in a release.

“As we continue to expand our footprint in North America, Kyle will play a key role in helping us to scale our growth and keep momentum,” said Koff. “His expertise in closing acquisitions and his cross-functional, people-first approach to business make him a perfect fit for our culture of excellence.”

D’Souza holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting and a Master of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas.

“This is an exciting time to be in the rail and transit industry,” said D’Souza. “I am happy to be joining RailPros as their values align with mine. Given the immense growth that the company is experiencing, I’m looking forward to contributing to the expansion of RailPros’ services and geographic footprint.”

GPA

GPA on June 27 announced the appointments of Flavio Batista as CCO and Rob Dooley as CFO, effective July 1, 2024.

The appointments, GPA says, reflect a succession plan put in place in 2023 for the June 30, 2024, retirement of CFO Michaela Thompson and for the current CCO Cliff Pyron to step into a GPA advisor role.

“Cliff and Michaela have been tremendous assets to the Georgia Ports Authority, setting a high standard in professionalism and world-class customer care for our organization,” said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Their years of experience, dedication and customer relationships have provided a wealth of insight to our commercial planning, growth and operations, and made finding the right successors a key to our future success.”

With more than 44 years of experience in liner container shipping, logistics and the port sector, Pyron began leading GPA’s sales effort in December 2008. Since that time, trade through GPA ports has scored record successes and grown 73% with “an impressive expansion of landside supply chain business partners that helped fuel this growth and attract investment in site selection by high profile companies and start-ups,” GPA said.

Batista joined GPA as Vice President of Sales and Marketing in January 2023 and came to GPA from the ocean carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen Group, which provides logistics solutions for manufacturers of cars, trucks, heavy equipment and specialized cargo. At WW, Batista served most recently as Senior Vice President and head of Americas sales, leading ocean and logistics commercial development and customer relations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America, based in New Jersey. Prior to that position, he was Executive Vice President and head of commercial activities for Europe, Africa and the Middle East at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, based in Antwerp, Belgium.

“Flavio’s global experience and his role as a former customer of international ports gives him a deep understanding of the needs of ocean carriers, BCOs, car manufacturers and our integrated supply chain partner ecosystem here in Georgia.  He and Cliff have worked very closely since he joined to ensure a smooth handover for all our customers during this 18-month period,” Lynch added.

“Our goal is to keep our customers and our supply chain partners competitive year-in, year-out with our national gateway ports and make it easy to do business with GPA. We have a long-term view and plan to support our customer growth with the nation’s best port infrastructure, future capacity and $4.5 bn investment planned,” said Batista, who will lead international marketing, business development, and the commercial performance toward beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), ocean carriers, RoRo carriers, auto manufacturers, non-containerized trade, and supply chain partners.

Thompson joined GPA as Director of Finance in March 2011, with ascending leadership roles, including Financial Controller and then CFO in January 2022. Her career spans public/private experience in manufacturing, private industry leveraged buyouts (LBOs), bond issues, credit union management, benefit plans administration and enterprise resource planning projects. Along with her CPA and MBA credentials, Thompson served on the boards of the Georgia Pension Trustees and the Georgia Government Financial Officers Association (GGFOA).  

“I would like to personally thank Michaela for her steady leadership in the Finance Department and the work she has done to maintain GPA’s sterling reputation and AAA financial rating,” Lynch said. “We wish her the best in her retirement and thank her for her succession planning role that ensured a smooth transfer of knowledge to Rob during this eleven-month transition period.”

Dooley joined GPA in August 2023 as Senior Director of Finance bringing extensive experience from the public and private sector working for companies like Northrup Grumman, Integra Connect, and Sontiq, (formerly called EZShield). 

“Rob brings the financial acumen and business sense with customers we need to keep growing and preparing for the future. His impeccable accounting credentials, focus on service and analyzing financial data to improve operational functions make him a perfect fit for GPA’s future trajectory,” Lynch said. 

“GPA’s port master plan, decision-making, leadership and Board of Directors – who are all successful business leaders from the private and public sector – have created excellent market momentum and I’m excited to lead the CFO function in this journey,” Dooley said.