The international GSSA group recently announced the inhouse appointment of Francisco Hernandez to Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Americas. ECS Group is in the midst of global GSA transformation and part of that strategy focuses on creating “a more integrated Americas organization capable of scaling while continuing to uphold close customer relationships and maintaining local market expertise.” On this, Francisco Hernandez will work alongside Joao Ferreira, Chief Commercial Officer – Americas, preparing the group for further regional expansion. Hernandez joined ECS Group 16 years ago and brings experience in dealing with the company’s commercial, customer service and operational teams, and having gained extensive understanding of its U.S. operations, airline partners, teams, local market realities, and customer needs. Now, as COO, his responsibilities include the regional consolidation and operational execution of the group’s Americas strategy, growing and intensifying its airline partnerships, developing flexible, tailored solution models, and embedding digital capabilities for improved customer service.
Jean Ceccaldi, Chief Executive Officer of ECS Group, announced: “Across the globe, our ECS Group mission is to transform the traditional GSA business model by leveraging the ideal combination of digital capabilities and human expertise to drive commercial resilience and growth. Who better to lead operations in the Americas, than someone who has been so actively involved in establishing its U.S. airline portfolio and has in-depth comprehension of CargoTech’s digital capabilities? Francisco’s long-standing experience and contribution to the ECS Group, make his appointment to Chief Operating Officer of one of the world’s most dynamic air cargo markets, a natural next step.”
Francisco Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer – Americas, stated: “Getting the Americas to operate as one connected network, will open up many opportunities and offer far greater customer value. By sharing market intelligence, coordinating key accounts, and developing cross-border and interline flows, our local teams will be in a stronger position to serve customers and offer fast solutions across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. My first priority, therefore, is team connection and capability alignment to create a solid operating rhythm across the entire Americas. Clear accountability, consistent performance management and faster escalation and decision-making will ensure and strengthen service quality for our airline partners. Digital transformation will also be a key enabler to consistently improving productivity, responsiveness, and decision-making across the region. Customers should experience ECS Group as one connected Americas organization – locally expert, operationally consistent, digitally enabled, and able to mobilize the strength of the wider Group.”
