June 11, Arlington, VA - Today, during the 2019 Global Cold Chain Expo in Chicago, Fernando León Rodríguez, Subdirector of Bajo Cero Frigoríficos, was named the recipient of the fourth annual Global NextGen Award, developed by the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). The award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the world’s cold chain industry. Rodríguez represented Latin America as the winner of the 2018 GCCA Latin America Future Leader Award.

“The GCCA Global NextGen Award acknowledges talented young professionals who have the potential to become future leaders and make a positive contribution to the development of the global temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics industry,” said Don Dick, President, Dick Cold Storage and Chairman of the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO). “Finalists for the award are recognized for their exceptional achievement in cold chain.”

Among other eligibility requirements for the award, finalists demonstrate excellence in their work; the potential to excel further in many facets within the industry; and insight into their organizations’ strategic values, direction, policies and ways of working.

Candidates for the 2019 GCCA Global NextGen Award were nominated by national refrigerated warehousing organizations to compete for the global award at the Global Cold Chain Expo. In addition to Rodríguez, finalists included:

• Anthony Crowhurst, IT Infrastructure Manager, Emergent Cold, represented Australia as the winner of the 2018 RWTA Frank Vale Award.
• Michael Fischer, General Manager, RLS Logistics, represented North America as the winner of the 2019 WFLO Don Schlimme Future Leader Award.
• Ben Price, Commercial Manager, GroContinental, an AGRO Merchants company, represented Europe as the winner of the GCCA European Future Leader Award.

As part of the selection process, each nominee was interviewed and judged by a panel of industry leaders from around the world. Candidates were evaluated on their knowledge level of the industry, track record of excellence, communication skills and leadership skills. In addition, each candidate delivered a five-minute presentation to the panel of judges and Global Cold Chain Expo attendees.