Legendary logistics executive Klaus-Michael Kühne dead at 89
Klaus-Michael Kühne, who took Kuehne+Nagel from a regional European company to a top global logistics provider, has died. The post Legendary logistics executive Klaus-Michael Kühne dead at 89 appeared first on FreightWaves .
Klaus-Michael Kühne, the former CEO of Kuehne+Nagel International AG, passed away at 89, the family-owned global logistics giant announced. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Kühne joined the company founded by his grandfather 68 years earlier in 1958. At age 29, he became the chief executive officer of K+N Speditions-AG. In 1974, K+N and Kühne relocated to Switzerland as the business expanded internationally.
In 1979, he opened the first office in China. In 1992, K+N moved its headquarters to its current location in Schindellegi, Switzerland. Kühne took the company public in 1994 and became honorary chairman in 2011. He established Kuhne Logistics University in Hamburg and the philanthropic Kühne Foundation. Kühne owned stakes in container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and German airline Lufthansa.
Current CEO Stefan Paul noted Kühne's entrepreneurial vision and focus on future growth. The logistics industry mourns the loss of a key figure who helped expand global trade through freight forwarding, warehousing, and supply chain management.
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