IFCO names Kelly, Martinez to key roles

IFCO announced the appointment of Fortunato Martinez and Craig Kelly to its North American business unit. Martinez will serve as vice president of commodity management. Kelly will serve as vice president of grower sales.

Martinez will oversee the commodity management team consisting of commodity managers and the entire IFCO supply chain development team. He has been a consultant to IFCO since 2012, developing and managing grapes and citrus commodities in Chile. Additionally, he has supported business development in Latin America covering numerous countries and a variety of commodities.

Prior to his association with IFCO, Martinez held general management and business development positions during his sixteen-year career with Chiquita Brands Inc. in Latin America, Mexico and the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Monterrey Technological Institute in Monterrey, Mexico; a master’s degree in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona; and a master’s degree in transportation and logistics from European University in Antwerp, Belgium.

Craig Kelly will oversee IFCO’s North American grower sales team, covering the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Kelly joined IFCO in 2013 and previously served as director of grower sales. Prior to joining IFCO, he served as director of sales at CHEP, IFCO’s sister company also owned by Brambles. He is a seasoned sales leader and a key figure in the NA produce industry, and previously served in key roles at ZAPF Creation, Evenflow and Kraft. He is a member of numerous industry and professional organizations and holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.