Mackelenbergh is ECSLA president

BRUSSELS: Derk van Mackelenbergh, md of Rotterdam-based transport refrigeration company Eurofrigo BV, is the new president of the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA).

An industry veteran with wide experience of the international association world, Derk van Mackelenbergh’s will be instrumental in the association’s affiliation with the US-headquartered Global Cold Chain Alliance, where ECSLA’s new president is a frequent and well-known participant.

Austrian national Christine Weiker is the new secretary general of ECSLA, responsible for both the association’s representation and lobbying at EU level as well as looking after member services.

“It’s an exciting prospect to steer ECSLA towards new relevance for its members and greater prominence in Brussels,” said Christine Weiker. “Top priorities will be to help ceo’s across our industry better understand the impact of EU decisions on their business operations and on their bottom lines and ensure ECSLA becomes a more pro-active and influential player at EU level.”

She is supported in her role by newly-appointed strategy and business development advisor, Eamonn Bates, a Brussels veteran with thirty years of experience of both association management and EU government relations strategy.

“In the old days, managers in companies controlled all the critical elements that would make their businesses a success,” says Bates. “That’s no longer true. We live in a super-regulated society where political or policy decisions can make or break a business. These are decisions that company executives don’t control. So the best top managers today are also effective lobbyists. We hope to make ECSLA the meeting place and training ground for the temperature controlled supply chain.”