Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (KCSM) (NYSE: KSU) today
announced that David W. Eaton will replace Gloria M. Ballesteros as
leader of the sales and marketing department effective November 1, 2009.
Ms. Ballesteros has decided to transition her position with the company
to an active consultancy role, so that she can spend more time with her
family. She will remain in her current position until the end of the
year, and will assist Mr. Eaton in his transition.
"Gloria has been a highly valued employee for 12 years,” said KCSM
president and executive representative Jose G. Zozaya. "She will remain
a key member of our team and we are pleased that she will continue
lending her expertise to the organization, while at the same time,
fulfilling her personal goals.”
In addition to leading the sales and marketing and service design
functions, Ms. Ballesteros has led customer service, network services
and served as a superintendent for the Southern Region. Prior to joining
the company, she was the Association of American Railroads rules
coordinator for ALSTOM. She holds an industrial engineering degree from
Technological Institute of Monterrey.
David W. Eaton has moved from vice president corporate affairs and right
of way protection to vice president sales and marketing. Mr. Eaton will
now focus his efforts on the KCSM sales and marketing department;
however, he will also provide transitional leadership for the company’s
corporate affairs and right of way protection department, which handles
the company’s federal, state and local relations program, as well as
other right of way protection responsibilities.
"David is an excellent choice to lead our sales and marketing effort,
because he has been involved in nearly every aspect of the business and
he is well-respected within the company. I am confident that he will be
an outstanding leader for our commercial activity in Mexico,” said Mr.
Zozaya. "His movement into this role is a fine example of the
opportunities for professional development within our company.”
"Leading the sales and marketing team in Mexico and coordinating with
the sales and marketing team in the U.S., David will continue to play a
vital role in our strategy to develop our cross border rail network,”
said Kansas City Southern (KCS) executive vice president sales and
marketing Patrick J. Ottensmeyer.
After serving as a consultant on the team transitioning TFM to KCSM, Mr.
Eaton became a full time KCSM employee in 2005. Prior to that, he was a
partner in Monterrey Business Consultants and ran a NAFTA legal think
tank at the Technological Institute of Monterrey. A dual citizen of the
U.S. and Mexico, he holds a masters degree in commercial law from
Technological Institute of Monterrey, a juris doctorate from the
University of Arizona and a bachelors degree in business administration
and political science from Northern Arizona University. He is a member
of the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce-Monterrey
Division and chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce International
Trade Committee.
Working closely with Mr. Zozaya and Mr. Eaton, current assistant vice
president for right of way protection Edgar Guillaumin will lead the
corporate affairs and right of way protection department during this
period of transition.
A subsidiary of KCS, KCSM serves northeastern and central Mexico, as
well as the ports of Lázaro Cárdenas, Matamoros, Tampico/Altamira and
Veracruz. KCS is a transportation holding company that has railroad
investments in the U.S., Mexico and Panama. Besides KCSM, its primary
holdings include The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, and a 50
percent interest in Panama Canal Railway Company, providing
ocean-to-ocean freight and passenger service along the Panama Canal.
KCS' North American rail holdings and strategic alliances are primary
components of a NAFTA Railway system, linking the commercial and
industrial centers of the U.S., Mexico and Canada.