Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Names COO

Polar Air Cargo Worldwide named former DHL Express executive Thomas Murphy to the position of chief operating officer.

Murphy moves to his new position from Polar’s partner company DHL, which holds a 49 percent ownership with a 25 percent voting stake in the cargo airline. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings owns the remaining 51 percent of Polar, with a 75 percent voting stake.

“We are very pleased to have Tom join our team, to lead and support the Polar business. His broad airline and air freight experience, knowledge of the Asian markets where Polar concentrates and familiarity with DHL’s express network operations are a great benefit to us,” said William J. Flynn, president and chief executive officer of Polar.

Murphy will be responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of Polar. He served as senior vice president, aviation Asia Pacific for DHL Express’ Singapore based business. His responsibilities with the company have included all aspects of aviation operations, strategy, and service performance in the Asia Pacific Region. He will be based in Purchase, N.Y., reporting to Flynn.

Murphy succeeds Randy Clark, who came to Polar from DHL in 2007. “We would also like to thank Randy Clark for his leadership, and significant contributions to Polar, including a highly successful startup of the Express Network,” said Flynn. “Randy led months of detailed planning and implementation that initially led up to the two aircraft launch before expansion to current levels. He was integrally involved in all operational management, IT solutions, sales, as well as the start-up of new hubs. The resulting Express Network program has been a success for Polar and its partner DHL. We wish him well in his future pursuits.”