People News: Keolis, Port NOLA, WSP, Duos

Pictured, left to right: Jannet Walker-Ford, Keolis North America (WSP Photograph); Amanda Coates, Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA Photograph); Joseph Sczurko, WSP (WSP Photograph); and Christopher Peters, WSP (WSP Photograph).

Keolis North America (Keolis) appoints Jannet Walker-Ford as Board Chair. Also, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) elevates Amanda Coates to Chief Commercial Officer; WSP Global, Inc. promotes Joseph Sczurko and Christopher Peters to President and Chief Operating Officer, respectively, in the United States; and Duos taps Adrian Goldfarb as Chief Financial Officer.

Keolis

WSP Transit and Rail National Market Leader Jannet Walker-Ford has been named Keolis Board Chair, overseeing operation of the Executive Committee. Led by CEO David Scorey, the leadership team comprises Ryan Adams, EVP of Market Development and Innovation; Robert Anderson, EVP of HR and Safety; Abdellah Chajai, Keolis Commuter Services General Manager and CEO; Karine LaSalle, Keolis Canada Acting CEO; Stephan Oehler, Chief Financial Officer; Brad Thomas, U.S. Transit President and COO; Alex Wu, Chief Information Officer; and Maria Natale, Acting General Counsel.

Walker-Ford, one of Railway Age’s 2023 Women in Rail honorees, has more than two decades of diverse expertise including management consulting, technology, mobility, and transportation systems. She has worked with national consultancy firms and served as the Deputy General Manager/Deputy CEO and CIO at Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Walker-Ford is Chair of WTS and serves on multiple international and national boards, including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Executive Committee, ENO Center for Transportation, Jacksonville University Board of Trustees, and NFI Corporate Board. She has received numerous awards recognizing her success and advocacy, including the 2022 APTA Business Member of the Year; 2021 WTS Northeast Florida Woman of the Year; 2019 Women of Color STEM Technology All-Star Award; and a 2019 Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ Women Who Move the Nation honoree.

Keolis’s transit business in North America has grown recently with the addition of new contracts in Austin, Tex. (becoming CapMetro’s operating partner for bus service), and Phoenix, Ariz. (delivering operations and maintenance management for more than 30 fixed-route, express, and circulator bus routes), according to the company. Keolis also operates Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s 14 commuter rail lines serving the Greater Boston region and Rhode Island, and Virginia Railway Express, a commuter rail line serving the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. It provides other transit services in California, Florida, Nevada, Virginia, and Canada.

“I am so pleased that Jannet has joined Keolis as Chair,” David Scorey said. “Jannet is a highly respected figure in the public transportation industry, and her leadership, vision, and experience will lead to ever improving outcomes for our partners, the passengers we serve, and our own people. With a strong corporate governance structure in place, Keolis is well-positioned to continue growth in the North American market.”

“I’m thrilled and honored to join Keolis as Chair during such an important moment for public transportation and during a time of significant growth for Keolis in the North American market,” Walker-Ford said. “I am honored by the confidence David and the Executive Committee have placed in me and look forward to working with them both to further Keolis’ positions as the partner and employer of choice in transit.”

In a related development, Brad Thomas on April 1 took on the role of President and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Transit business at Keolis.

Port NOLA

As Chief Commercial Officer, Amanda Coates will lead business development strategies and real estate operations at Port NOLA, which has the largest public footprint of Louisiana’s ports, with 24 berths, 20 million square feet of cargo handling areas, two cruise terminals, and 2,500 acres of industrial real estate.

She joined the Port in 2018 as Commercial Manager and was promoted to Head of Business Development in 2023. Under her leadership, the Port said it has marked record growth in container volumes, driven new trade opportunities, and provided innovative supply chain solutions to support import, export, and breakbulk cargo operations. Previously, Coates spent more than 15 years holding various operational and commercial roles at global ocean container carrier Mediterranean Shipping Company.

“Since 2018, Amanda Coates has brought invaluable maritime knowledge and experience to our global gateway,” Port NOLA President and CEO and New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) CEO Brandy D. Christian said. “She is a strategic and visionary leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and proven track record for success. Her expertise will be vital as we push forward on the largest public economic development project in the state, the Louisiana International Terminal.”

“I am thrilled to lead the Port’s commercial strategy and growth initiatives in this new role,” Coates said. “As a multi-modal logistics enabler, Port NOLA can deliver a range of marine, rail, barge, truck, and real estate solutions to customers.”

Separately, the Port recently announced a new 10-year lease arrangement with site development firm The Kearney Companies, Inc., which it called a “milestone” in the longstanding relationship between Port NOLA, The Kearney Companies, and NOPB, which provides rail service to its facilities and a connection to all six Class I railroads.

WSP

Professional services firm WSP has elevated Joseph Sczurko to President, USA. He joined the company in 2022 through its acquisition of John Wood Group plc’s Environment & Infrastructure business, where he had served as CEO. Until this time, Sczurko led WSP’s Earth & Environment business in the USA.

“We are delighted to appoint Joe to the role of President in the United States and welcome him to our Global Leadership Team,” said Alexandre L’Heureux, President and CEO of WSP Global. “Joe brings decades of invaluable leadership experience and a deep understanding of the industry and evolving client needs. He has a proven track record of building, leading, and fostering collaboration in diverse multi-sector and multi-service businesses. He is already deeply connected within WSP, and his commitment, effectiveness, and proficiency in sustainability make him well suited to effectively guide our U.S. business through its next stage of growth and innovation.”

“We have exceptional people and a great culture at WSP,” Joe Sczurko said. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to developing a unique technical professional services business and to lead our WSP team in the USA in driving strategic initiatives while consistently delivering outstanding results for our clients, partners, and stakeholders.” 

WSP has also promoted Christopher Peters to Chief Operating Officer, USA. With 30 years of experience in the engineering industry, he joined WSP in 2017 and until now served as President, West Region in the USA, responsible for operations and growth of multiple business lines, including transportation, property and buildings, water, energy, and advisory services.

“Both these appointments are a testament to the firm’s robust pipeline of talent and succession planning,” said Alexandre L’Heureux. “I wish to also extend warm thanks to Lewis Cornell (Lou) for his dedication to WSP over the years and wish him, once again, a well-deserved retirement.” Cornell had served as WSP’s President and CEO, USA.

In other WSP news, Nigel Astell, well known in the global rail transit community and to Railway Age/Parsons Next-Generation Train Control Conference attendees through his role in organizing this annual event (slated for October 17-18 in Baltimore this year), has left Parsons to join WSP as Senior Vice President – Intercity Rail and Strategy Practice Leader for National Transit and Rail. 

Duos

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Duos Technologies Group, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Duos Technologies, Inc., has announced the re-appointment of Adrian Goldfarb as Chief Financial Officer. He succeeds Andrew Murphy, who held the role since November 2022 and has been recruited by another company.

Goldfarb’s tenure with Duos dates back over a decade, during which “he has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s financial strategies working closely with the investment community,” according to Duos, which provides Machine Vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze freight and passenger trains, transit vehicles, and trucks. He served most recently in a strategic advisory role.

“On behalf of the Duos management team and Board, I extend sincere appreciation to Andrew Murphy for his outstanding contributions to the company,” said Chuck Ferry, CEO of Duos. “Andrew’s dedication and expertise have been instrumental in shaping our financial strategy and positioning Duos for sustained growth. Although I am disappointed that we were unable to retain him, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Adrian has served as a Strategic Advisor to me and due to the stage that we are at with an expansion of our business, I wanted to replace Andrew with someone who has a deep knowledge of the business and can quickly assume the role so that we can continue our progress seamlessly.”

Separately, Duos on Feb. 22 reported signing an AI subscription agreement with an undisclosed Mexican rail operator.