USA. US airports concessions developer Fraport USA has made three senior executive appointments to take on expanded leadership roles within the organisation.
On 3 January, Bill Casey will join as Chief Operating Officer and Kent Vanden Oever will occupy the position of Executive Vice President Strategy and Analytics. In addition, John Bennett has been named Chief Construction Officer, effective immediately.
Casey has served in various leadership capacities in the airport business, specialising in food & beverage and hospitality, throughout his career.
His most recent role was as CEO and Founder of Phase 2 Hospitality, a consultancy he formed to guide brands and ACDBE businesses with their development plans.
Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Operating Officer for travel restaurateur and retailer Areas in the USA, where he oversaw operations in 13 airports and nine travel plazas across North America.
Casey also worked for Paradies Lagardère, where he led the growth of a new division, increasing sales from US$18 million to US$110 million in three years. He was responsible for operating national, local, and proprietary brands in 12 North American airports.
He started his airport concessions career with HMSHost, advancing to the role of Vice President of the company’s restaurant development portfolio.
Meanwhile, Vanden Oever brings three decades of airport business and consulting experience to his new position. His current role is as an independent consultant assisting airports with commercial improvements and new planning and leasing strategies in the post-pandemic environment.
He had earlier served as Vice President of Business Development for HMSHost, accountable for a portfolio of accounts generating US$50 million in annual sales.
Bennett will oversee all construction activity for Fraport USA programmes. He brings more than 30 years of experience as a construction management director working in buildings and infrastructure design and construction. He specialised in high-profile projects and programmes valued at US$8 billion.
Bennett has contributed to capital improvements at 13 airports in four countries with expertise in planning, scheduling, organisational development, management, claims, constructability/design reviews, and delivery.
Fraport USA Chief Executive Officer Michael R. Mullaney said: “We are committed to delivering excellent results and solutions for our customers in a highly complex and dynamic airport retail environment.
“Our primary focus is on the passenger experience. These leaders bring substantive expertise across multiple areas, from operations and construction to strategy and analytics, that will positively impact our programmes and performance. We are thrilled to welcome this trio of highly-skilled professionals to our executive team.”
