Luca Quaresima, of NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, was awarded the 2020 Global NextGen Award from the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). In the five years of the award’s history, Luca is the first recipient from Europe to be awarded this top honor. The Global NextGen Award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the world’s cold chain industry.
“The Global NextGen Award celebrates the accomplishments of our industry’s rising stars and Luca is a great example of that,” said Brian Beazer, General Manager and CEO of WCS Logistics and the Chairman of the World Food Logistics Organization. “2020 showed us the need for individuals who lead, now more than ever. All of our nominees were in good company and have proven themselves to be great young leaders.”
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 2020 GCCA Global NextGen Award were nominated by national refrigerated warehousing organizations to compete virtually for the global award. In addition to Quaresima, finalists included:
- Demi Hiriaki, from Iceland Cold Storage in Australia and winner of the 2019 Frank Vale Award
- Zeshan Hassan, from Congebec, Inc. in Canada, and winner of the 2020 Don Schlimme 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 ten-minute presentation to the panel of judges virtually.
If you, or a representative from your company, would like to compete for the 2021 award, please visit GCCA's website for more information.