Hellmann: Matthias Köfler becomes product manager rail East Europe
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has been able to recruit Matthias Köfler as Product Manager Rail East Europe. In this newly created position, he is responsible for the further development of rail and intermodal transport, especially between Southern and Eastern Europe. The appointment is a further strategic step by the global logistics service provider to develop and establish rail transport within Europe as an important part of intermodal transport.
The 33-year-old economist has many years of experience in European combined transport. For the past ten years, he has been working for the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in Vienna, where he was most recently responsible for the Continental division of the ÖBB subsidiary Rail Cargo Group. At Hellmann, Matthias Köfler will use his in-depth knowledge of the industry to launch new intermodal products and to strategically develop the rail product, particularly in Eastern Europe. As a first step, Hellmann plans to establish three block train connections between Germany, Hungary, Turkey and Slovenia by 2026.
“The relocation of production from many industries to Eastern European countries has led to a massive increase in customer demand for intermodal transport solutions and rail services between Western and Eastern Europe in recent years. Thanks to the long-standing and, above all, local expertise of our colleagues in Austria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey, we at Hellmann are very well positioned to provide our customers with the best possible support in this regard,” says Piotr Zaleski, Regional CEO East Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.
“Having already brought Marijo Pesic on board as Director Product Management Rail Europe in September 2023, we are expanding our expertise with Matthias Köfler, enabling us to further increase our ability to offer our customers tailor-made, environmentally friendly intermodal products on an international scale. Shifting transport to rail remains the biggest lever for sustainably reducing CO2 emissions. Combined with the use of e-trucks we will be able to bring reliable CO2-neutral transports to the market very quickly,” says Si Hellmann, Head of Rail Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.
