Fraport USA announced the appointments of three industry executives for expanded leadership roles within the organization. John Bennett has been named chief construction officer, effective immediately. Bill Casey will join as chief operating officer, and Kent Vanden Oever will join as executive vice president, Strategy and Analytics, effective Jan. 3, 2022.
The new positions bolster Fraport USA leadership ranks and further enhance its programs for airport partners and stakeholders. “We are committed to delivering excellent results and solutions for our customers in a highly complex and dynamic airport retail environment,” said Fraport USA Chief Executive Officer Michael R. Mullaney. “Our primary focus is on the passenger experience. These leaders bring substantive expertise across multiple areas, from operations and construction to strategy and analytics, that will positively impact our programs and performance. We are thrilled to welcome this trio of highly skilled professionals to our executive team.”
As chief construction officer, Bennett oversees all construction activity for Fraport USA programs. An accomplished construction management director, he brings more than 30 years of experience in buildings and infrastructure design and construction, specializing in high-profile projects and programs valued at $8 billion. He has contributed to capital improvements at 13 airports in four countries with expertise in planning, scheduling, organizational development, management, claims, constructability/design reviews, and delivery, including activation on complex, time-sensitive multidisciplinary projects.
The new chief operating officer, Casey has a wealth of industry experience; he has served in various leadership capacities in airport concessions programs, specializing in food and beverage and hospitality, throughout his career. Most recently, as CEO and founder of Phase 2 Hospitality, LLC, a consultancy, he guided brands and ACDBE businesses with their development plans; he also supported the expansion of one of the largest ghost kitchen operators. Previously, as COO for Areas, USA, he oversaw operations in 13 airports and nine travel plazas in North America. While at Paradies Lagardere, he led the growth of a new division, increasing sales from $18M to $110M in three years, and was responsible for operating national, local, and proprietary brands in 12 North American airports. He started his airport concessions career with HMSHost, advancing in key roles to become vice president of restaurant development portfolio. There, he led a team responsible for analyzing customer data, traffic trends, financial impact, and food and beverage concept plans for travel venues in more than 200 airport and motorway accounts.
Vanden Oever brings three decades of airport business and consulting experience to his new position. Prior to joining Fraport USA, he was tapped as an independent consultant and assisted airports with commercial improvements and new planning and leasing strategies in the post-pandemic environment. Before this, as vice president of business development for HMSHost, he served as a strategic resource and was accountable for a portfolio of accounts generating $500M in annual sales. At AirProjects, Inc. and HNTB Corporation, he further demonstrated his ability to add value to airports in a variety of consulting engagements that increased concession sales and more profitable business terms for those clients. He launched his career in airport business services with PB Aviation (now WSP USA) and advanced to management, where he gained exposure to all types of airport consulting, including facility planning, environmental, financial analysis, and concession management.
