Air logistics veteran Peter Penseel has quit as deputy CEO of CMA CGM Air Cargo, leaving the newly formed airline without the backing of an air freight specialist.
Mr Penseel is set to join Delta Cargo as SVP and president, following the February departure of Rob Walpole, and will be based in Atlanta, a source said,who broke the story.
Prior to joining CMA’s fledgling airline in January, Mr Penseel spent three years as airfreight COO at Ceva Logistics, prior to which he was SVP of cargo sales and network planning at Qatar Airways.
A source said Mr Penseel’s departure would be a “huge loss” for CMA CGM, with the three-year-old airline left under the watch of CEO Guillaume Lathelize – who, notably, does not have an air freight background.
Mr Lathelize has been at CMA CGM for 17 years across various sea freight roles, including VP of shortsea lines, VP of north-south lines and global commercial lead.
The January appointment of highly experienced air cargo executive Mr Penseel, as deputy CEO of the airline, had set the French carrier up with the crucial component it needed for success. But the ‘deputy’ prefix to Mr Penseel’s title was somewhat contentious, given his extensive air freight knowledge. A source said the air cargo division was losing money, and “Peter’s job will be to turn things around”.
CMA CGM stepped down from its agreement with Air France-KLM this month, and is planning to extend its network to the US.