OREANDA-NEWS.   UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced John Menna has been named Vice President of Global Strategy for Healthcare Logistics. Bill Hook, a 20-year healthcare logistics industry expert, will be retiring after joining UPS in 2000 with the acquisition of Livingston Healthcare Services, Inc. Over the past decade plus, Hook has catapulted UPS into a leadership position for global healthcare logistics and helped set the company's global long-term growth strategy in healthcare logistics across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

John Menna, a 28-year UPS veteran, is currently vice president of planning and revenue management. He launched the first Pain in the (Supply) Chain survey - an annual report which measures healthcare executive's logistics' pain points as director of the initial global healthcare strategy team. Menna also served as director of customer technology, vice president of marketing in Latin America and the Caribbean for UPS.

"UPS has built its healthcare logistics leadership through the development of innovative industry-specific solutions, a focus on aggressive growth in our global network and expansion model, in line with - and at times ahead of - customer demands," said Hook. "It has been an exciting and rewarding time to work at UPS, and we have created a very strong foundation for continued healthcare segment growth. John will bring new ideas to the future of our business, and I can't imagine a more capable leader for the business."

During Hook's leadership at UPS, its healthcare network has grown from 10 fully-compliant healthcare-dedicated facilities in North America to 45 facilities in strategic locations around the world. UPS's healthcare logistics footprint now encompasses more than 6.4 million square feet of storage and distribution space. In addition to network expansion, the healthcare segment has made strategic acquisitions during the past three years, including healthcare logistics companies Pieffe (Italy), CEMELOG (Hungary) and, most recently, Polar Speed (U.K.).

UPS has also introduced tailored services for the marketplace such as temperature- and time-sensitive product protection and risk mitigation solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries.   
"Bill and his team have built a specialized and unique offering for healthcare companies, and I am excited to lead the team to continue to deliver on his vision for UPS Healthcare Logistics over the coming months and years," said Menna. "Working closely with our customers around the world, UPS will continue to develop innovative, industry-leading healthcare solutions to meet the evolving needs of the industry."