XPO Logistics, Inc. announced two appointments related to its board of directors, effective immediately. Gena L. Ashe has joined the board as an independent director of the company, and is due to serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Ashe’s appointment expands the board to nine directors, seven of whom are independent directors. Michael G. Jesselson, who has served on the company’s board since 2011, has been appointed to the newly created role of lead independent director.
Bradley Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of XPO Logistics, said, “The appointments of Gena and Michael to new roles on our board further demonstrate our company’s commitment to strong corporate governance. Gena has extensive experience in some of our most important customer verticals, including e-commerce, food and beverage, and technology. Michael has an exemplary record as a director of XPO, and is an experienced lead independent director through his board service to other public companies. I’m pleased that the composition of our board increasingly reflects our scale and diversity as a global leader.”
Ashe has more than two decades’ executive experience with public and private companies in varied industries. She most recently served as chief legal officer of The Brickman Group, Ltd. (now BrightView Landscapes, LLC). Prior to Brickman, she held senior legal roles with Catalina Marketing Corporation, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Darden Restaurants, Inc., Lucent Technologies, Inc. and AT&T. Earlier, Ashe was an electrical engineer with IBM Corporation before joining IBM’s legal team.
Jesselson has been president and chief executive officer of private investment firm Jesselson Capital Corporation since 1994. He has been an independent director of XPO Logistics since 2011, is a former chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee, and has significant shareholdings in the company. Additionally, Jesselson has served on the board of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. since 1997, and has been its lead independent director since 2012.
Other recent actions of the company include declassifying the company’s board in 2015 to require an annual election of all directors; adopting a majority vote standard in the election of directors; adopting stock ownership guidelines for directors and executive officers; and rotating committee chairs. The company also appointed Louis DeJoy as a director in 2015.
Source: XPO Logistics Inc.
