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Executive Team
Jim Ritchie
President and Chief Executive Officer
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Meridian IQ, Jim
Ritchie leads the global logistics management subsidiary of YRC
Worldwide. Meridian IQ works with clients across a range of
industries to plan and coordinate the movement of goods throughout
the world, providing value and peace of mind to the client.
Under Ritchie's leadership, Meridian IQ has become a leading
provider of global logistics management services, with gross
revenues of approximately $1 billion and over 3,500 employees
worldwide. Started in 2002, Meridian IQ is now recognized as a top
15 global logistics management company, an accomplishment achieved
through both business growth and strategic acquisitions. Meridian IQ
has established operations in Latin America, Europe, Asia and North
America.
Ritchie has more than 25 years experience in the logistics
industry. Prior to joining Meridian IQ, Ritchie was President and
CEO of both Yellow Global and Transportation.com, and held executive
positions at Ryder Integrated Logistics.
Ritchie received his bachelor’s degree in Architecture and
Industrial Design from California State University, Long Beach. He
currently serves on the board of directors of MachineryLink, Inc.,
and upon regulatory approval of the agreement, is slated to serve as
Vice Chairman of JHJ International, a Shanghai-based joint venture
of YRC Worldwide.
Dan Bentzinger
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Dan Bentzinger is responsible for all information
technology-related functions at Meridian IQ, including technology
development and support. A key priority is the alignment of the
company’s technology investments with its business strategies. Prior
to joining Meridian IQ, Dan was Senior Vice President and Chief
Information Officer for Transportation.com where he led the
technology development group for the start-up company. Before that,
Dan was the Chief Information Officer for The Kansas City Southern
Railway (KCSR) and helped transform a legacy-centric staff into a
vibrant, customer-focused organization. He further advanced his
transportation expertise and developed key relationships with
industry professionals while holding positions at Yellow Technology
Services, Andersen Consulting, and IBM.
Valerie Bonebrake
Executive Vice President, Chief Logistics Officer
Valerie Bonebrake leads the teams responsible for global
procurement and yield management; merger and acquisition strategy
and execution; global sales and marketing strategy and execution;
and new service development. In addition, she oversees the
management of strategic relationships and joint ventures, including
call center operations for the Meridian IQ domestic forwarding and
brokerage operations. Valerie was named to this position in 2005
after serving the company as Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer. Valerie has more than 24 years of experience in
developing high-performing transportation management teams. Prior to
joining Meridian IQ, Valerie was Senior Vice President of New
Services for Yellow Transportation. She also had general management
responsibility for Exact Express, Customer Solutions, Specialized
Delivery, and Truckload Transportation. Before joining Yellow,
Valerie was Corporate Officer Vice President and General Manager for
Ryder Integrated Logistics, where she built highly successful sales
and operations teams focused on the high technology and
telecommunications vertical sectors.
John Carr
President, Americas and Europe
John Carr is
responsible for the operations of all business segments in the
regions of North America, South America and Europe. He leads
the teams in these regions responsible for sales and client
account management; contract logistics; transportation
management; distribution and warehouse services; transportation
services; and operations in Canada and Mexico. Carr joined
Meridian IQ in 2007 with considerable supply chain experience,
most recently serving as President of BAX Global Logistics.
Prior to that, Carr held positions in operations, sales, and
marketing with Fritz Companies, GEO Logistics and Pandair
Freight. Carr has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the
University of Southern Mississippi.
Roland Chong
Managing Director, Asia
Roland
Chong is responsible for all Meridian IQ activities
throughout Asia. In addition, Chong oversees the China
forwarding venture between JHJ International Transportation
Co., Ltd. and Meridian IQ, China, through his position on
its Board of Directors. Chong joined the organization in
2006 as Senior Vice President, Logistics for Meridian IQ,
Asia, with significant experience in both logistics and
freight forwarding. Before joining Meridian IQ, Chong
worked with Exel, Kyocera, AT&T, and Crown Pacific. He
received a Master of Business Administration from Newport
University, Newport Beach, California. Chong is a member of
the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, UK (CILT);
a committee member of the China International Forwarding
Association (CIFA); and a committee member of the China
Customs Broker Association (CCBA). He was invited as an
economic consultant and advisor by the Chinese government to
the Tianjin Airport Industrial Park Administration, Tianjin
Port Free Trade Zone Administration, and Shanghai North Bund
Freight Development Committee.
Michael Collins
Senior Vice President, Global Logistics Operations - Americas
Michael is responsible for leadership and development of
Meridian IQ business in the Americas. His expertise includes over 20
years of global logistics and forwarding experience, including 16
years of extensive leadership roles in global operations. Before
joining Meridian IQ, Michael served as Vice President Global
Operations for GPS USA, and Regional Director prior to that. In
addition, Michael held the roles of Director of Operations and
Director of Market Development for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics from
1991-2000. Michael was a leader in designing innovative global
service offerings at Hellmann. Michael also served in various
management, international transportation, supply chain and customs
brokerage capacities during his tenure at BAX Global from 1984 to
1991.
Eric Friedlander
Senior Vice President, Asia Development
Eric
Friedlander is responsible for focusing on Asia development from
a financial and M&A perspective. This includes driving and
supporting joint venture development and overall strategic
planning and execution. Prior to this role, he served as Sr. VP
and CFO for Meridian IQ. Eric has more than 17 years of
financial leadership experience. Prior to joining Meridian IQ,
he served as Vice President of Finance for Transportation.com.
He was named Vice President of Finance at Yellow Corporation,
the predecessor company to YRC Worldwide Inc., with
responsibility for Yellow Global and new Yellow Transportation
services. He was with Inter-Maritime Forwarding Co., an
international freight forwarder and customs-house broker, for 15
years, working as controller, corporate secretary and treasurer.
He also served as trade administrator for Boles Trade Inc. in
Washington, D.C. A Phi Beta Kappa, Eric earned a bachelor's of
arts degree in international relations from the University of
California, Davis. He holds a master's of arts degree in Asian
studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where he
was awarded a congressional fellowship.
Janice Pinson
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Janice Pinson leads the team responsible for developing and
implementing the talent strategy for Meridian IQ. Prior to her
current assignment, Janice was Director of Human Resources at YRC
Worldwide, the holding company for Meridian IQ. During the previous
15 years, she worked inside Fortune 500 companies and in management
consulting. Janice was formerly Vice President, Field Human
Resources for Dallas-based Pizza Hut, with responsibility for Human
Resources in restaurants nationwide and a team of 40 professionals.
She started her career with Arthur Andersen/Andersen Consulting in
the Management Development group designing, developing and
delivering training on over 60 topics and on four continents. She
helped lead major organizational change through extensive leadership
development programs and strategic planning. Over the course of her
career, Janice has held leadership roles in Training, Organizational
Development, Staffing and field and corporate HR functions. Janice
holds a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois in
Organizational Communication and Undergraduate degrees in
Communication and Psychology.
Bhadresh Sutaria
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Bhadresh
Sutaria is responsible for all financial matters for Meridian
IQ. This includes the areas of accounting; enterprise financial
planning and analysis; SOX compliance worldwide; financial
reporting and cash management; international tax management; and
financial administration. In addition, Bhadresh oversees all
merger and acquisitions for Meridian IQ from the financial
perspective. Prior to joining Meridian IQ, he served as Sr. VP
and CFO for Roadway. He first joined YRC Worldwide in 2004 as
Vice President, Corporate Controller & Chief Accounting Officer
for the Corporation. Prior to joining the organization, Bhadresh
held progressively responsible positions within the Monsanto
organization and Mascon. He has undergraduate degrees in
Commerce and Law from Gujarat University in India and Graduate
degrees in Accounting & Tax from University of Illinois and an
Executive MBA from Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern
University. In addition to Transportation, Bhadresh brings
experience in Software Services, Agro-biotech, Pharmaceutical,
Consumer Products, and Chemical industries in the areas of
Finance, Strategy, Technology, and Supply Chain Management.
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Executive Team
