Palletforce appoints former TPN chief Adam Leonard as CEO

Industry veteran Adam Leonard (pictured) has been appointed as Palletforce’s new chief executive by parent company EV Cargo.

He will take the place of Michael Conroy who, after 13 years at the helm, has been promoted to the new position of EV Cargo UK chief executive, heading up all EV Cargo’s UK operations.

Leonard brings years of experience in the pallet network sector to his new role. His previous posts include chief executive of The Pallet Network (TPN) which he joined in 2000 as general manager, leading a management buyout in 2007.

Leonard left TPN in 2016 and in 2018 joined the fledgling Principle Pallet Network (PPN), launched by ex-Fortec directors Marcus Fischer and Neil Hodgson in 2016.

However PPN’s bid to become the UK’s ninth pallet network ended in failure in the same year. In January 2020 Leonard returned to the sector as Palletforce’s member relations director.

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Leonard said: “It’s both a privilege and a challenge to follow Michael after his successful period leading Palletforce. The last 18 months have been a unique and challenging time for everyone in the sector and my focus as chief executive will be on ensuring the entire Palletforce network continues to work collectively, collaboratively and in the spirit of the membership to ensure our continued success.

“Ongoing restrictions have eliminated face-to-face meetings, however, my strategy is to further enhance relationships with our membership ensuring we continue to work together, facing the challenges as one, for the collective benefit of all.”

During his time at Palletforce, Michael Conroy led substantial change at the network, including the opening of two major distribution hubs. During his tenure, Palletforce saw revenue grow from £43m to over £160m.

Conroy said: “It has been a great honour to lead Palletforce and help influence its success story, I can safely say it has been the best 13 years of my working life. In my new position overseeing EV Cargo’s UK operations, I will still be closely involved with Palletforce and supporting Adam and the team where necessary.

“Adam’s wealth of experience and deep knowledge of the pallet sector places him in a strong position to lead the business. His empathy with our members will help strengthen relationships and reinforce our position at the head of the sector.”