People News: Nexxiot, POLB

Maximilian Eichhorn, CEO, Nexxiot (left) and Renee Moilanen, incoming Director of Environmental Planning, Port of Long Beach. (Photographs Courtesy of Nexxiot and POLB, respectively)

Zurich, Switzerland-based Nexxiot appoints Maximilian Eichhorn as CEO, succeeding Stefan Kalmund. Also, Renee Moilanen will rejoin Port of Long Beach, Calif., (POLB) as Director of Environmental Planning, effective July 15.

Nexxiot

As Nexxiot’s new CEO, Maximilian Eichhorn is slated to guide the asset intelligence company “through the next phase of growth.” He served previously as Vice President Digital Products and Services for Knorr-Bremse, which in 2023 announced a partnership with Nexxiot to bring to market a suite of smart products for connected passenger and freight trains.

“Nexxiot will continue to develop products to make rail and intermodal operations more efficient, safe, and sustainable,” the company said during the June 10 leadership announcement. “This supports the EU directive to shift 30% of road freight over 300 km to rail and waterborne transport by 2030. The EU’s goal is to double rail freight traffic by 2050. Max Eichhorn will lead Nexxiot in a commercialization program to deliver solutions to both rail and maritime clients.”

Eichhorn’s appointment “represents a natural evolution for Nexxiot to drive innovation and leverage synergies to benefit the industry,” according to Nexxiot, which employs around 120 people, located mainly in Switzerland, the United States, and Nordic countries, and whose growth is said to have been achieved “through its scalable IoT hardware, data analytics, and process automation.”

“Through Max’s industry leadership, together with his engineering expertise, we will deliver the innovative products and digital services required by our global clients to support their digital transformation and commercial goals,” Nexxiot Board Chair Andrew Thomas said.

“Our purpose at Nexxiot is to accelerate the return on investment for our clients and their customers—by providing powerful hardware, analytics and AI,” Eichhorn said. “We are experiencing rapid digital adoption across rail and maritime. Nexxiot is ideally positioned to capitalize on this growth. I’m excited to lead this diverse and committed team.”

Further Reading:

• Visibility
• Nexxiot, 3C Telemetry Partner to Enhance Rail Safety, Efficiency
• RailPulse, Nexxiot Team on Telemetry
• Knorr-Bremse, Nexxiot to Launch Suite of Smart Products for Improving Rail Connectivity

POLB

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on June 10 approved the appointment of Renee Moilanen to lead POLB’s sustainability programs.

Starting July 15, Moilanen will serve as Director of the Environmental Planning division, which is directly responsible for environmental policies and programs, including the Green Port Policy and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. Under the 2005 Green Port Policy, the division coordinates programs to improve air, water and soil quality; preserve wildlife habitat; and integrate sustainability into Port practices. “Due to the effectiveness of these programs, total diesel emissions at the Port have dropped by 91% since 2005, and biodiversity and health of the harbor have improved,” POLB reported.

Moilanen was most recently Director of Ports at Build Momentum, which is described as specializing “in developing campaigns for organizations working on transformative water, energy, transportation and manufacturing technologies.” She was previously a consultant for Starcrest Consulting Group, which helps conduct the POLB’s annual emissions inventory.

From 2014-19, Moilanen served POLB as Manager of Air Quality Practices. Additionally, Moilanen held the positions of Environmental Specialist, Environmental Specialist Associate, and Communications Administrative Analyst during her Port career, which began in 2006.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Florida and a master’s of public policy in health policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

In a related development, Adrian Granda recently joined POLB as Director of Government Relations.