Charles Adams to Retire; Ken Torok To Lead UPS Asia Pacific

Charles A. Adams, president of UPS Asia Pacific, today announced his retirement. For the past eight years, Adams has been a vital force in driving the development and growth of UPS operations in Asia. He will be succeeded in April by Ken Torok, 49, a long-time UPS executive.
“Charles’ deep understanding and passion for business in Asia has been an incredible asset to UPS,” said Ron Wallace, president of UPS International. “Under Charles’ stewardship, UPS Asia Pacific became extremely successful. And, we are confident that Ken’s proven managerial and business-building abilities can only enhance UPS Asia’s continued growth and prosperity.”

As president of UPS Asia Pacific, Torok will be based in Singapore and responsible for all UPS employees, operations, joint ventures and agent relationships throughout the region.

A graduate of North Carolina State University, Torok began his career with UPS in 1975. He started out as a delivery driver and was promoted through the operational ranks to his most recent position as district manager of UPS’s South Florida operations. In this capacity, Torok played a key role in the integration of UPS package delivery, logistics, warehousing, freight forwarding, brokerage and airline operations in the area.

This enabled UPS to provide comprehensive supply chain solutions for Florida-based customers conducting business to and from Latin America. The South Florida area is one of the company’s busiest and most diverse operations and is UPS’s gateway to Latin America.

From 1994 to 1997, Torok was the UPS Europe transportation manager, where he played an instrumental role in the integration of the ground and air operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 1998, he was promoted to district manager of UPS operations for the state of Utah.

Charles Adams joined UPS in 1991 after 27 years with Trans World Airlines, where he held senior positions in France, Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom and the United States. He began his UPS career as vice president of Air Operations in UPS Europe. In 1992, he was appointed executive vice president of the UPS joint venture with Yamato Transport Co. in Japan.

Since becoming president of UPS Asia Pacific in 1994, Adams has helped drive UPS’s strong growth throughout the region. Under his leadership, UPS Asia Pacific experienced tremendous expansion. This involved the development of an extensive UPS air network including a Trans Pacific air hub in Taipei, an intra-Asia air hub in the Philippines and industry-first direct flights between China and the United States. Additionally, he oversaw the establishment of joint-venture operations in six major Asian countries, all while achieving sustained profitability for the region since 1997.

Adams is well known throughout the industry and has served as a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board, a leading government advisory body. He was the Board’s first representative from the transportation and distribution industry. In recognition of his lifetime contributions to the Asia Pacific region, Adams was recently conferred the degree of Doctor of Business Administration by the Angeles University Foundation in the Philippines.

Ronald G. Wallace, president, UPS International announced his retirement earlier this year. He will be succeeded on March 1, by David P. Abney, a 29-year veteran of UPS, who has helped guide the evolution of UPS’s global supply chain management business.

UPS is the world’s largest global transportation company, offering the most extensive range of e-commerce and supply chain solutions for the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.