Executive Search in Italy for EPC and Renewable Energies
Italy’s national grid operator had 9,204 open connection requests as of 31 May 2026, representing a combined 612 GW of
July 20, 2026
Transport networks depend on the infrastructure that carries traffic and the operators that move people and goods across it. We identify the leaders who keep both performing.
Highways, terminals and ports operate under long-term obligations, while carriers, forwarders and logistics providers make daily decisions about capacity, timing and cost.
When either side falls short, the consequences reach customers, public authorities, investors and operating margins.
Zavala Civitas has built particular depth in U.S. toll road and highway concessions, a market where many assets are owned or operated by international infrastructure groups. Our team combines knowledge of U.S. grantors, lenders and operating teams with a network that reaches the European and Latin American sponsors behind these concessions. We apply the same approach to transport operators, freight forwarders and logistics providers, defining each search around the asset, the operating model and the commitments behind the role.
A toll road concession moves through construction or acquisition, traffic ramp-up, mature operation and handback, and each stage calls for a different emphasis. Results depend on traffic, pricing, operating cost, financing terms and asset condition, while tolling technology upgrades and handback obligations demand long-term planning.
Leaders also manage a three-way relationship: public authorities set the framework, lenders and shareholders expect predictable returns, and drivers experience the road every day. We examine how candidates have built credibility in all three conversations, especially when tolling policy, scope or traffic forecasts changed.
Shifting trade flows, labor shortages, congestion and capacity constraints force operators to revise schedules and make difficult choices between cost and service. For ports and forwarders, UNCTAD’s Review of Maritime Transport 2025 highlights how rerouting, changing port calls and longer shipping distances continue to affect capacity, schedules and operating costs.
We assess how candidates have secured alternatives quickly, communicated revised commitments clearly and then addressed the underlying exposure.
A busy network is not necessarily a profitable one. Empty miles, waiting time, failed deliveries and work outside the contract scope all erode returns, so commercial and operational leaders need a shared view of the cost to serve each account.
Data helps only when someone acts on it. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index now draws on large-scale tracking data to measure connectivity, speed and reliability, shifting the focus from perceptions to observed outcomes. We look for leaders who have turned shipment data into accountable decisions: a late-shipment alert with a clear owner, a workable response and timely communication with the customer.
New contracts and seasonal peaks change labor, space and transport needs quickly. Performance depends on drivers, warehouse teams, planners and subcontractors working to standards that hold without constant intervention from headquarters. The same leaders must decide how fleet renewal, route design and lower-emission options fit the network.
We examine how candidates have held standards across dispersed sites and tested new options against real operating conditions before scaling them.
Each search is defined around the asset, the operating model and the commitments behind the role.
Businesses that develop, finance, operate and maintain toll roads, managed lanes and other highway public-private partnerships, with particular depth in the United States. Searches reflect the concession stage, the grantor agreement, traffic and revenue exposure, tolling technology, capital programs and lender relationships.
Cargo handling and connections between transport modes, where asset utilization, safety, throughput and coordination with carriers drive results.
Businesses coordinating ocean, air, road and rail freight, and third-party logistics providers managing fleets, warehousing and distribution contracts, where network reliability, customer implementation, workforce productivity and contract profitability define the mandate.
Time-sensitive delivery networks and temperature-controlled operations, where network density, peak capacity and product integrity are central.
The operating model matters. Leading a toll road concession, with long-term obligations to a public authority and lenders, requires different experience from running an asset-based fleet or a forwarding business that buys capacity from carriers.
| Function | Toll Roads and Infrastructure | Transport and Logistics |
|---|---|---|
| Executive leadership | CEO, Concession General Manager | CEO, President, Managing Director, Country Manager |
| Operations | Toll Operations Director, Asset Management Director | COO, Operations Director, Fleet Director, Terminal Director, Contract Logistics Director |
| Projects and finance | Capital Projects Director, Head of Project Finance | CFO |
| Commercial and stakeholders | Government Relations Director | Commercial Director |
| Technology and corporate | Tolling Technology Director | CIO, HR Director, HSE Director |
We begin with the business need behind the appointment and the executive’s responsibility for assets, sites, subcontractors and customer accounts. For concession roles, the brief also covers the concession agreement, the grantor relationship and the expectations of lenders and shareholders. We agree the measures that define success, such as traffic and revenue, delivery reliability or account profitability.
Our research combines target-company mapping with direct approaches to executives who are not actively looking. For U.S. concession roles, we map concessionaires, operators, developers and investors, and reach leaders within the international groups that sponsor many U.S. assets. Leaders from airports, rail and other long-term public-private partnerships are considered where their experience with grantors, lifecycle maintenance or project finance is relevant. For logistics roles, we focus on the transport mode, customer segment and geography the brief requires.
We personally interview candidates about specific situations: a traffic ramp-up, a negotiation with a grantor, a contract implementation or a difficult peak period. We examine how they managed each stage of a concession, responded to disruption, controlled the cost to serve and held standards across dispersed sites. For assets with international sponsors, we also assess how effectively candidates work with shareholders and headquarters abroad.
Structured assessments, references and, where appropriate, a role-specific business case provide further evidence.
Site presence, travel, shift-based operations and emergency responsibilities are discussed early. Weekly progress reports cover market coverage, candidate feedback and any constraints, giving clients a clear view of the profile, compensation and availability in the market.
Whether you sit on the board of a concession company, manage an infrastructure portfolio or lead a logistics business, contact Zavala Civitas for a confidential discussion about your next transportation or logistics leadership appointment.
Diagnosis of Situation
A European-sponsored U.S. toll road concession needed a General Manager. Traffic was below forecast, a capacity expansion required financing and approvals, and the tolling system needed an upgrade.
Few executives have led a concession end to end, and this role answered to a state authority while reporting to a board abroad. The new General Manager needed credibility with the grantor, lenders and the sponsor at the same time.
Implementation
Mapping covered U.S. concessionaires, managed lane operators, comparable public-private partnerships and leaders inside the sponsor group.
Interviews examined experience with traffic ramp-up, grantor negotiations, capital programs and tolling technology. Shortlisted candidates presented a plan for their first months in the role, and references were taken from public-sector counterparts and lenders.
Result
The appointment provided a leader trusted by the authority, lenders and the sponsor’s board, with performance measured against agreed baselines for traffic and revenue, compliance, safety and capital program delivery. The board also gained a clear comparison of internal and external candidates and a realistic view of the U.S. talent market.
Diagnosis of Situation
A logistics provider had added customers quickly, but performance varied between warehouses. Some contracts required labor and handling that pricing did not reflect, and customer escalations consumed growing management time.
Many candidates excel either at warehouse operations or at account management, but few combine both with a clear understanding of the cost to serve each account.
Implementation
Mapping covered contract logistics providers and comparable multi-site businesses. Interviews explored how candidates had standardized operations across sites, managed customer scope and addressed underperforming contracts.
A business case presented an account with deteriorating margins, asking candidates to separate operating inefficiency from changes in customer scope and set priorities.
Result
The appointment brought consistent operating standards across sites and a clear view of account profitability, measured through service reliability, labor productivity and margin by contract. The search process also helped the client define which capabilities mattered most for its next stage of growth.
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