McDevitt to Assume UPS HR Responsibilities

Published on Monday, 06 February 2012 14:22 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

John McDevitt, a 35-year UPS veteran and member of the company’s Management Committee, will assume responsibility for UPS’s Human Resources function in addition to his current role overseeing Labor Relations.

McDevitt, 53, will succeed Allen Hill, who is retiring after an almost 36-year career with UPS (NYSE:UPS) that saw him rise to become the company’s top lawyer as its general counsel and then the head of UPS’s Corporate Human Resources Group.

McDevitt currently serves as the senior vice president for global transportation services and labor relations. His responsibilities for global transportation services will be assumed by Chief Operating Officer David Abney.

“John McDevitt has made significant contributions to bringing together our multimodal transportation network and I am confident his leadership and experience will bring similar success in further unifying our Labor Relations and Human Resources efforts,” said UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis. “There are many synergies within our global Labor Relations and Human Resources processes and this change provides greater coordination for the application of our people policies.”

McDevitt began his UPS career as a part-time employee while attending Rutgers University in 1976. He held senior positions in operations, labor relations and corporate compliance prior to being named vice president of air operations in 2000. In addition to running the day-to-day air operation, McDevitt oversaw the development of UPS Worldport®, the air hub that became the largest expansion project in UPS history and the centerpiece of the company’s global distribution network.

McDevitt first joined the Management Committee in 2003 when he was named senior vice president of strategic integration. In that role, he was responsible for helping the company’s continuing evolution as a logistics company with broad capabilities beyond package delivery. Then in 2005, McDevitt was named to his current post, overseeing UPS’s global intermodal transportation network -- which includes one of the world’s largest airlines, a surface delivery fleet of 94,000 vehicles and rail and other distribution services – along with labor relations.

Hill began his UPS career in 1976 as a part-time package loader and sorter while attending college. He held positions of increasing responsibility in operations and human resources before joining the legal group in 1988 as an employment attorney working with the Human Resources function. During that time he oversaw a wide spectrum of employment issues, including the creation of an employee dispute resolution process that remains in use today.

Hill was promoted six years later to coordinator of the corporate legal group and became department manager of the function in 1995. In 1999, Hill played an instrumental role in the company’s initial public stock offering, which at the time was the largest in Wall Street history. He joined the Management Committee in 2004 as general counsel and corporate secretary prior to accepting his current post in 2006.

A native of Decatur, Ala., Hill received his B.A. from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., and a J.D. from the Nashville School of Law. He also completed the Executive Education program at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta; has chaired the Board of Trustees of The UPS Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Policy Association.

“Allen played an essential role in the creation of efficiencies within the Human Resources and Legal departments, including a variety of employee self-service initiatives and the company’s approach to utilizing outside law firms,” noted Davis. “Not only has the organization realized an improvement in safety results during Allen’s HR leadership, we have been able to share our knowledge with the community through programs such as The UPS Foundation’s Road Code.

“We also were especially proud when, during Allen’s tenure as the UPS-United Way Campaign Chairman in 2010, the company became the first organization in history to achieve $1 billion in donations to United Way,” Davis added. “We appreciate his contributions to the company and will miss his counsel and partnership.”

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.