XPO Logistics announced on Thursday its appointment of Karlis Kirsis as chief legal officer for GXO Logistics, the planned spin-off of XPO’s logistics business. Kirsis currently works as senior vice president, European chief legal officer for XPO Logistics Europe. In his new role he will be responsible for GXO’s legal and compliance functions, including corporate governance, litigation and commercial matters.
“Karlis’s extensive experience in world-class corporate and legal environments, and the supply chain industry in particular, will be significant assets to GXO. He will help align the company’s legal functions with its strategic, game-changing goals,” commented Brad Jacobs, XPO Logistics chairman and chief executive officer.
Kirsis first joined XPO in 2016 as vice president, corporate and securities counsel and then worked as senior vice president, corporate counsel. Previously, he spent a decade as a senior corporate associate in New York and London for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he performed global M&A and corporate finance transactions.
XPO previously announced its plans to spin off its logistics business as a separate, publicly-traded company in August 2021. GXO is the largest pure-play contract logistics provider in the world and will be well-positioned to capitalize on the big three secular tailwinds of e-commerce growth, customer demand for logistics automation and the burgeoning trend toward supply chain outsourcing. The business already includes approximately 885 logistics locations in 27 countries.
Kirsis holds a juris doctorate from New York University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College
.