Following the landmark announcement bringing its legacy brands together under one Culina identity, Culina has announced two senior leadership appointments as it continues to strengthen the business and support its future growth.
The move to one Culina brand and five specialist divisions also marks the launch of Culina International; a newly formed division focused on transport and logistics solutions between continental Europe and the UK.
The new division brings together the general haulage operations previously delivered through Stobart Europe in Belgium, Germany, and Bulgaria with IRF’s unaccompanied transport operations in the Netherlands and the UK. Culina International’s ambition is to become a leading transport partner for customers moving goods between Europe and the UK.
Stijn Gheyle will lead Culina International as Managing Director. He brings extensive experience across European logistics, shipping, and EU-UK transport, having held senior leadership roles with ECS, 2XL, Unifeeder by P&O Ferries and DP World.
As part of the changes, Culina’s Finished Vehicle Logistics business will operate as a dedicated standalone business under the continued leadership of Raf Hustinx, providing greater focus on supporting customers in the evolving automotive sector.
James Gray has joined Culina as Group Business Development Director, bringing more than 13 years’ experience with GXO. Most recently, he served as Head of Development, UK & Ireland, leading strategic growth initiatives, and the development of complex supply chain solutions across multiple industry sectors.
The newly created Group Business Development function will focus on developing strategic customer relationships, identifying new sectors and business opportunities, and driving cross-selling across the organisation. Through a one Culina approach, the team will bring together expertise and capabilities from across the business to create greater value for customers.
Commenting on the appointments and the launch of Culina International, Fabian Koehler, Deputy CEO of Culina, said:
“The launch of Culina as a single identity was a defining moment for our business. It reflects our ambition to be a more connected organisation, bringing together the best of our heritage, expertise, and capabilities under one brand.
“Stijn’s and James’s appointments and the creation of Culina International build on that momentum. Stijn’s international expertise will help us further develop our European operations and deliver greater value for customers across the UK and Europe, while James will play a key role in strengthening our commercial approach across the group and creating growth opportunities across the business.”
