Rail supplier news from Wabtec, Burns, Siemens and Hub Group

Wabtec Corp. named John Olin executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1. He will succeed Pat Dugan, who is departing the company in the fourth quarter. Olin most recently was senior vice president and CFO of Harley-Davidson. He previously served as controller of Kraft Foods' cheese division and spent 12 years in financial leadership positions at Kraft, Oscar Mayer Foods and Miller Brewing Co.

Engineering firm Burns has installed Scott McKelvie as director of business development-railroad and transit. He has more than 30 years of experience representing products and services across the rail, telecom and construction industries. An early advocate of the importance of broadband connectivity, the Internet of Things and ultra-wideband positioning systems for freight and passenger rail, McKelvie championed technology solutions that have since become essential contributors to the advancement of communications-based train control, positive train control, and other signaling and safety innovations, Burns officials said in a press release.

Siemens Mobility has acquired Sqills, a leading software-as-a-service provider for inventory management, reservation and ticketing software in the rail industry. The acquisition advances the company's strategy to increase the availability, capacity and utilization of public transportation, Siemens officials said in a press release. Sqills complements Siemens’ software portfolio and is a strong fit with its growth strategy concerning digital and software offerings, they said.

Hub Group has appointed Thomas LaFrance executive vice president, general counsel and secretary. He most recently was general counsel for National Grid, a large London-based energy company. LaFrance previously served as general counsel for General Electric Co.’s transportation and security technology divisions, United Technologies and Wabtec Corp. Earlier in his career, he was a litigation partner at law firm Goodwin Procter. LaFrance provides vast leadership and management experience across myriad complex issues, especially in the transportation, clean energy, corporate governance and mergers/acquisitions realms, Hub Group officials said in a press release.