New Appointments for Harsco Rail International Operations, Sales and Global Marketing

Dec. 26, 2012
Harsco Rail recently announced three key leadership appointments: Joseph Dougherty to lead Harsco Rail’s international business as vice president — International; Jay Gowan, vice president of Sales for North and South America, will take on additional sales responsibility for Harsco Rail’s business in Australia/New Zealand; and David Baxter was hired to serve as its director of Global Commercial Operations.

Harsco Rail recently announced three key leadership appointments.

Joseph Dougherty has been appointed to lead Harsco Rail’s international business as vice president — International. In this newly created general management role, Dougherty will be responsible to lead the company’s sales, administration and operations in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Russia/CIS regions. Dougherty has been with Harsco Rail nearly 4 years and most recently served as vice president of Product Management, Marketing and International Sales. Dougherty joined Harsco Rail from GE Transportation where he held numerous roles in the global locomotive organization. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from University of Illinois and an MBA from University of Michigan.

Dougherty will continue to serve on the company’s leadership team reporting to Scott Jacoby, president of Harsco Rail. Jacoby commented, “Joe is the perfect leader for our international business. His experience, drive and leadership will help Harsco Rail grow its business into new markets and better align our sales and operations functions around the needs of our international customers.” Dougherty will be relocating to the U.K. by the end of this year.

Jay Gowan, vice president of Sales for North and South America will take on additional sales responsibility for Harsco Rail’s business in Australia/New Zealand. Gowan has been with Harsco Rail for 6 years and in the rail industry for 16 years. Gowan earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Cincinnati and is a board member of several industry associations including REMSA, AAR’s Associate Member Advisory Board and Heavy Axle Load Engineering Research Committee.

Gowan will continue to serve on the company’s leadership team reporting to Scott Jacoby, president. Jacoby said, “Jay’s sales leadership has been reflected in Harsco’s strong business in the Americas. Jay and his team have established a strong strategy in the developing market of Brazil. The Australian market has many elements found in both markets and our customers will surely benefit from Jay’s enthusiasm and experience.”

Harsco Rail has hired David Baxter to serve as its director of Global Commercial Operations. In this newly created role, Baxter will be responsible to lead the company’s product management, market research, marketing communications and sales quoting teams. He comes to Harsco Rail with 18 years of leadership experience in marketing, aftermarket and business development with leading global construction and industrial equipment manufacturers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from California State University, Fresno and an MBA from University of Georgia.

Baxter will serve on the company’s leadership team reporting to Scott Jacoby, president. Jacoby said, “We are pleased to have David join our team and bring his global marketing and product development experience to Harsco Rail. We are embarking on an aggressive mission to develop new products, enhance our customer communications and grow the business globally. David and his team will help lead the charge for these critical initiatives.” Baxter will be located at the company’s headquarters in Columbia, SC.