Zeshan Hassan, continuous improvement manager with Congebec, Inc., has won the World Food Logistics Organization’s 2020 Don Schlimme Future Leader Award. The honor was bestowed by Brian Beazer, WFLO chairman and general manager and chief executive office of WCS Logistics, during the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) Virtual Innovation program where over 650 temperature-controlled logistics professionals from more than 20 countries participated in over 40 education sessions and share groups.
“I was born in a very small town in Pakistan and moved to different cities to pursue my education,” said Hassan. “Receiving this award is the result of hard work that I hope inspires others to find ways to find success.”
“Listening to Zeshan’s presentation moved me,” said Nick Pedneault, president and chief executive officer of Congebec Logistics. “This is one of my proudest moments leading this company.”
Headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, Congebec is a provider of multi-temperature storage, value added and distribution services supporting the food, retail and CPG industry from multiple locations in Quebec, Ontario, Winnipeg and Calgary. Hassan is the first Canadian to win the award.
Established in 2015 by WFLO, the Don Schlimme Future Leader Award recognizes talented young professionals in North America who have the potential to become future leaders and make a positive contribution to the development of the cold storage warehousing and logistics industry. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in their work, the potential to excel further in the many facets within the industry, and possess insight into their organization’s strategic values and direction, policies and ways of working.
The prize is named in honor of Donald V. Schlimme, Ph.D, an expert in food science and cold storage who died in 2012. He was a longtime member of the WFLO Scientific Advisory Committee (1983-2012) and a staff advisor to the organization for many of those years.
Hassan competed for the award with the following finalists: Alex Woolf, vice president of research and development, Lineage Logistics; John Long, senior engineering program manager, Americold Logistics; and Ray Rodriguez, senior manager, business development, United States Cold Storage.
“The dedication and quality of the emerging leaders within the cold chain continues to be so impressive. Hassan and his fellow competitors are excellent examples of how the cold chain will continue to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of a growing global population,” said Matt Ott, president and chief executive officer of the Alexandria, Virginia, USA-headquartered Global Cold Chain Alliance, of which the WFLO is a core member.
Hassan will compete with other young leaders from around the world for the global GCCA NextGen Award in early 2021.
