Shelley Simpson will take on the role of president at J.B. Hunt Transport Services, effective Aug. 1. In her new position, Simpson will oversee management duties and performance for all company business units, emerging technology, developing services, and people and human resources.
Over her 28-year career at J.B. Hunt, which ranks No. 5 on the FleetOwner Top 500: For-Hire Fleets of 2022 list, Simpson has served 15 years in executive leadership roles, most recently as chief commercial officer and executive vice president of people and human resources, in addition to leading International Services and Corporate Marketing.
John N. Roberts III will remain CEO and a member of J.B. Hunt's board of directors, a new management structure for the company, according to a company release.
“Over her tenure at J.B. Hunt, Shelley has worn multiple hats across our business, bringing a data-driven, experienced-based approach to every area she has led,” Roberts stated. “If you look at the most disruptive areas of our company, from new technologies to global commercialization to investments in our people, Shelley’s innovative leadership has always guided us toward positive results.”
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In 2007, Simpson was named president of Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), a business unit she helped create. She assumed sales and marketing executive responsibilities in 2011 as chief marketing officer. She took on additional leadership in 2014 as president of J.B. Hunt’s truckload business segment. Simpson was named chief commercial officer and president of the Highway Services business unit in 2017 and led the strategic direction and launch of J.B. Hunt 360. In 2020, Simpson added responsibilities for people and human resources.
“I am grateful for John’s continued leadership and growth mindset,” Simpson stated. “As our yearlong 60th anniversary comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on our company’s storied history of innovation. From leading the way as the industry’s first asset-based intermodal service provider to leveraging the benefits of technology for shippers and carriers through J.B. Hunt 360, our people have and will continue to fuel our growth through a cycle of innovation that is intrinsic to our organization.”
“We have an exceptional executive leadership team in place with an average tenure of more than 25 years at the company. As I take on this new role, I remain committed to empowering our people to continue to disrupt, adapt and accelerate and fiercely focused on driving value for our customers, with financial discipline and dedication to our mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America,” she added.
In addition to these changes, Brad Hicks will continue as president of Highway Services and will take on additional responsibilities as executive vice president of people. Hicks has been at the company for 26 years and has served in executive roles since 2017. Spencer Frazier will assume the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing. Frazier has been with the company for 21 years, most recently serving as senior vice president of sales, a role he has held for the past 11 years.
