Kuehne+Nagel reshuffles leadership in US, Germany and Iberia

Kuehne+Nagel has appointed three senior managers to lead its operations in the United States, Germany and Southern Europe, with the changes taking effect between 1 November 2026 and 1 January 2027. The reshuffle touches three of the forwarder's most important national markets and follows the company's stated approach of promoting internal leadership with international market experience.

The appointments come at a moment when global forwarders are competing hard for share in transatlantic and intra-European trade lanes, making country-level leadership a commercially significant decision rather than a routine personnel matter. Kuehne+Nagel did not announce any accompanying changes to its freight forwarding services or operational network.

Who takes over, and when?

The three appointments are:

• Daniel Randig becomes National Manager for the United States, effective 1 November 2026.
• Björn Traemann takes over as National Manager for Germany on 1 January 2027.
• Miguel Germano assumes the role of Cluster Manager for Spain, Portugal and Malta from 1 January 2027.

All three executives have held management positions across several international markets and multiple logistics divisions during their careers at the company.

What experience do the new managers bring?

Randig brings nearly three decades of experience in the logistics industry, spanning sea freight, air freight, sales and general management. He joined Kuehne+Nagel in Brazil in 2001 and has since held positions in the United States and the Middle East. His most recent role was National Air Logistics Manager for the US — a background that pairs nicely with the air and sea product lines at the heart of the forwarder's American business.

He succeeds Marcus Bennett, who moves into a new global management role within the company rather than leaving it.

Traemann has worked for Kuehne+Nagel for more than 23 years. His résumé includes international leadership and Sea Logistics positions across Germany, China, Singapore, the Middle East, Belgium and Luxembourg, and Vietnam. That breadth covers several of the world's largest container trade lanes, from Asia-Europe to intra-Asian routes.

He replaces Tobias Jerschke, who is departing after more than 28 years with the company to pursue opportunities outside the logistics industry. Jerschke's exit after nearly three decades represents a significant loss of institutional knowledge for the German organisation.

Germano contributes 18 years of international management experience with Kuehne+Nagel. He previously held leadership positions in Portugal and Turkey before becoming National Manager for Mexico, his most recent post. His Iberian background positions him well for the three-market cluster he will now oversee.

He succeeds Miguel Ambielle Fernandez, who, like Bennett, will assume a new global management position within Kuehne+Nagel.

What does this mean for shippers and forwarders?

Two of the three outgoing managers stay inside the organisation in global roles, which signals continuity rather than upheaval; only Jerschke departs for outside opportunities. For shippers and forwarders working with Kuehne+Nagel in the US, Germany and the Iberian cluster, the practical expectation is continuity in contracts and service structures, since the announcement explicitly did not specify changes to freight forwarding services or the operational network.

The internal-promotion pattern also tells its own story. Randig, Traemann and Germano each spent between 18 and nearly 30 years with the company, indicating Kuehne+Nagel prefers tested insiders for country leadership in its largest markets.

With the new managers in place by January 2027, customers and competitors alike will watch whether the refreshed leadership adjusts the forwarder's positioning on transatlantic and European trade lanes — though the company has given no indication of strategic change beyond the management line itself.