RAIL Logistics Europe (RLE) has announced five new senior-level appointments to lead the restructuring of the company from the start of next month.
The changes come ahead of the disbanding of SNCF’s freight division Fret SNCF on January 1 2025. RLE currently oversees freight and logistics companies within the SNCF group, including Fret SNCF, Captrain, Naviland Cargo, VIIA and Forwardis.
Mr Charles Puech D’Alissac, who is currently chairman of VIIA and Naviland Cargo, will take on the role of Fret SNCF managing director. He will then become chairman of Fret SNCF’s successor organisation on January 1 2025.
Mr Jérôme Leborgne, Fret SNCF’s existing managing director, will move into the role of secretary general at RLE.
Mr Nicolas Gindt, at present director of strategy and innovation at RLE, will become chairman of Captrain. He will replace Nicholas Giraud, who will move into the position of director of strategy and development at RLE.
Mr Tristan Rouzès, RLE’s current performance, transformation and digital director, will move into the role of shadow head of a new freight locomotive maintenance company that will be formed on January 1 2025, when he will become that company’s first chairman.
All of the above appointments will take effect from February 1. The new chairmen of Naviland Cargo and VIIA will be announced shortly.
The restructuring of RLE comes after the European Commission (EC) began an investigation last year into whether SNCF’s freight operations were in receipt of illegal state aid between 2007 and 2019. As a result, Fret SNCF, which disputes the EC’s findings, will be disbanded and replaced by two separate entities on January 1 2025: a freight operator and a locomotive maintenance company, the names of which have yet to be announced by SNCF.
