Another successful annual Alumni meeting took place in Barcelona on 9-10 February 2023. This year more than 80 participants joined in person marking the 10th year of the meeting’s occurrence.
The event began on 9 February with a walking dinner where participants were able to network in an informal environment. The meeting took place in the morning on 10 February with a very interesting agenda and excellent speakers.
ECG President, Wolfgang Göbel, welcomed the participants, congratulated all alumni on the 10th Anniversary and gave an overview of ECG’s priorities for 2023 highlighting the importance of the ECG Academy in creating a network of professionals in the Finished Vehicle Logistics (FVL) sector.
Filippo Rizzi Ariani, chair of the ECG Academy Advisory Group (EAAG), presented the activities of the group which is responsible for keeping the network alive through projects and the organisation of the Alumni meeting itself. Andreea Serbu, ECG’s Senior Manager External affairs, gave an overview of the association’s 2023 Roadmap and an update on working group activities.
The meeting continued with the elevator pitches by the ECG Academy Course 16 innovation lab groups. They presented their innovative ideas and gave their contribution to two of ECG’s strategic objectives for 2023: the FVL cost index and standardisation of emissions reporting. Hilke Steffens, Senior Trainer at ECG Academy, delivered a keynote speech on Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) including upcoming requirements for companies in EU Member States to report on impacts their activities have in these areas.
The second part of the meeting was opened by Markus Happersberger, ECG Academy trainer, giving a keynote on organizational development of companies in a contest characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA).
The meeting ended with a panel discussion moderated by alumnus Tom Antonissen, EU Affairs Adviser at EUreSupport srl where panelists had the opportunity to exchange their views on the current capacity crisis and the meaning of long-term partnerships in FVL. Representatives from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) discussed how to overcome the current capacity crunch and potential solutions. The OEM perspective was given by Andreea Popa, Renault Service Romania, while Filippo Rizzi Ariani, Grimaldi Group and Artur Allende, Noatum Automotive contributed to the discussion as representatives of shipping and terminal operators. Antoine Redier working for Tramosa France illustrated the main challenges in trucking. Finally, Mike Sturgeon, ECG commented on what the association is doing to support the sector and its members.
The ECG Academy Alumni meeting is organised every year for all Alumni who attended the ECG Academy. Currently, the network counts almost 300 alumni who obtained the one-of-a-kind Certificate in Automobile Logistics Management.
For any questions please contact Jovana Vancevska.
Speakers
Filippo Rizzi Ariani
Chair of the EAAG
Markus Happersberger
ECG Academy
Hilke Steffens
ECG Academy Trainer
Artur Allende
Noatum Automotive
Andreea Popa
Renault Services Romania
Rafael Sánchez
SEAT, S.A
Antoine Redier
Tramosa France
Our moderators
Tom Antonissen
EUreSupport srl