Boeing named Maurita Sutedja, a veteran Finance leader, as its next vice president of Investor Relations. She will succeed Troy Lahr, who has been appointed chief financial officer of Boeing’s Autonomous Systems business.
Sutedja will oversee Boeing’s interactions with the investment community, providing shareholders and industry analysts an accurate picture of the company’s business, performance, and outlook.
Since joining Boeing in 2010, Sutedja has held leadership roles in the company’s treasury, financing and enterprise services groups, including serving as chief financial officer of Boeing Capital Corporation and vice president of Enterprise Finance Services. Prior to Boeing, Sutedja worked at General Motors for nearly a decade, holding various leadership roles such as director of global funding and cash management. Sutedja began her career as an equity research analyst at UBS and ABN AMRO Securities.
Sutedja will report to Greg Smith, Boeing’s chief financial officer and executive vice president of Enterprise Performance & Strategy.
Lahr, who has led Boeing’s investor relations team since January 2013, will move to Autonomous Systems, a key segment of the company’s Defense, Space & Security unit that provides high-performance unmanned aircraft systems, underwater maritime vehicles, and certain electronic and information systems. Lahr will also join the board of United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
These appointments are effective immediately. Sutedja and Lahr will work together over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition.
Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has elected of Raymond Johns to its board of directors, effective immediately.
Johns is currently executive vice president of FlightSafety International Inc. headquartered in New York, where he leads the design, manufacture, and support of flight simulation equipment and flight training services to government and military organizations worldwide.
ATSG chairman, Randy Rademacher says Johns brings to ATSG’s board a deep understanding of strategic planning and analysis, as well as expertise in setting and achieving the highest standards of performance for complex air networks under challenging conditions.
ATSG is the world’s largest owner and operator of converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft. Subsidiaries include ABX Air, Airborne Global Solutions, Air Transport International, Cargo Aircraft Management, and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, including its division, PEMCO World Air Services.
Two new board members, representing the ground handling and cargo carrier sectors, have been appointed to the TIACA Board of Directors.
Ramesh Mamidala is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Delhi, India-based Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management Pvt, and brings over 22 years’ air cargo experience to the post.
Sanjeev Gadhia is Founder and CEO of Nairobi, Kenya-headquartered Astral Aviation Ltd, as well as Vice Chairman of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Cargo Task Force.
“TIACA represents the air cargo supply chain globally, and Ramesh and Sanjeev will help to expand the links with the regions which are fast developing and are very important for the air cargo industry – Asia and Africa,” said Vladimir Zubkov, Secretary General, TIACA.
The new appointments come as TIACA prepares to host its Executive Summit, which takes place at the Turnberry Isle Resort and Golf Club in Miami, USA, from 18th to 20th October, and features a track on Latin America.
Mamidala previously worked as Senior Manager Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) Cargo for Qatar Airways and Manager Cargo Hub and Product Development at Emirates SkyCargo.
Prior to that, he was Senior Management Consultant for Eicher Consultancy Services Ltd, based in Mumbai, India.
Gadhia launched cargo carrier Astral Aviation in 2000, which has grown to become the largest private cargo airline in Eastern Africa, boasting a fleet of B747-400F, DC9F, B727F and F27 freighters.
Gadhia is also Vice Chairman of the Cargo Task Force for AFRAA, which is Africa’s largest airline association and promotes co-operation in operational, commercial, technical, and training fields.
Delta Cargo has appointed Vishal Bhatnagar to the new role of Director of the Cargo Control Center (CCC). In this role, Vishal will ensure central control and delivery performance of all freight and mail destined worldwide, from booking, to tendering, to build-up, to plane-side, to loading, to unloading and to customer pick-up. In addition to the CCC he will also be responsible to manage Worldwide Trucking, Global Logistics and Trade Compliance and all Cargo Customer Service Centers. He will report to Julian Soell, Managing Director Cargo Customer Experience and Operations.
“Vishal comes into this newly-created role with 23 years of experience in the cargo industry, having started as a cargo agent and progressed right through to lead the North and South America operations team for Lufthansa,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President ̶ Delta Cargo. “He joins Delta Cargo at an exciting time, with our strong focus on operational reliability and improving the customer experience, he really will be a valuable asset to the success of Delta Cargo and the new Cargo Control Center.”
Vishal, a native of New Delhi, India, received his bachelors in Economics and Mathematics from Delhi University and his M.B.A. from European School of Management and Technology, Germany.
The Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, recently confirmed the appointment of Tony Douglas as Group Chief Executive Officer, who will join the company in January 2018.
Mr. Douglas joins Etihad from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, where he has served as CEO of the Defence Equipment and Support department, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces.
In the UK, he held senior positions with airport operator BAA, and as Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke. His roles under airport operator BAA included Managing Director of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport.
Previously, Mr Douglas held senior positions in the UAE, most notably as CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company and as CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Company where he was responsible for the successful delivery of Khalifa Port.
H.E. Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Etihad Aviation Group, commented: “We are delighted to have Tony return to Abu Dhabi to lead Etihad. He has guided the transformation of large organisations in the UAE and the UK, and he understands the UAE and the region. He is also deeply knowledgeable about commercial aviation and keenly familiar with Etihad’s challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing industry.”
As Group CEO, Mr. Douglas will work with the Board and leadership team to expand and implement a range of strategic initiatives to position Etihad for sustained success in an increasingly competitive regional and global aviation market.
Mr. Douglas will be supported by an experienced group leadership team which includes Ray Gammell, who will return to his position as Group Chief People & Performance Officer; Ricky Thirion, Interim Group Chief Financial Officer; Kevin Knight, Group Chief Strategy & Planning Officer; Mana Mohamed Saeed Al Mulla, Chief Group Support Services Officer; Henning zur Hausen, General Counsel; and Amina Taher, Vice President Corporate Affairs.
The divisional CEOs will report directly to Mr. Douglas, including Peter Baumgartner, CEO of Etihad Airways; Chris Youlten, Managing Director of Etihad Airport Services; Abdul Khaliq Saeed, CEO of Etihad Airways Engineering; Gavin Halliday, Managing Director of Hala Group; and Robin Kamark who joins as CEO, Airline Equity Partners in October 2017.
Kuehne + Nagel has officially opened the doors to its Accra branch office, with emergency and relief logistics expected to be a major focus.
Operations started with delivering 150 40 foot containers of mosquito nets to Ghana’s Ministry of Health for IDA Foundation Aid & Relief.
The mosquito nets will be shipped from Denmark to Ghana, where they will be distributed to local health centres as part of a national campaign against malaria.
Due to the geopolitical environment in the region, emergency and relief logistics is a major focus for Kuehne + Nagel Middle East and Africa, and it says the cooperation with IDA Foundation showcases Kuehne + Nagel’s experience to provide freight forwarding and tailor-made logistics services for a broad range of customers and industries.
Kuehne + Nagel also says the Accra branch is well positioned to provide cross-border forwarding and industry-specific logistics solutions to customers operating in West Africa, specifically Ghana and its neighbouring countries.
Gulf Pinnacle Logistics (GPL) has acquired a 60 per cent stake in UAE-based Century Express Courier Services as part of a Dh1.2 billion investment plan.
Century Express focuses on same- and next-day express deliveries through its own fleet and a network of agents in 100 countries.
Shailesh Dash, Chairman of Gulf Pinnacle Logistics, said, “This acquisition augments GPL’s concerted efforts in achieving its goal of becoming a diversified logistics company in addition to serving as a delivery base and capitalising on the e-commerce boom in the MENA region.”
Two state-of-the-art express facilities have opened at Budapest Airport, as part of the EUR160 million (HUF50 billion) BUD:2020 Development Programme.
DHL Express is the latest to launch at the warehouse and office complexes, which have automated sorting systems, and represent the largest air cargo development at Budapest Airport to date, with a total land area development of just over 60,000 square meters.
“DHL Express has already been present in Hungary for more than 25 years. The new lease agreement between Budapest Airport and DHL Express for another 15 years clearly reflects the commitment of Deutsche Post DHL Group to Hungary and the airport,” said Zoltán Bándli, Managing Director, DHL Express Hungary.
“The 6,000 m2 warehouse capacity will give DHL space to accommodate the volume growth of our business, with the new state-of-the-art sorting technology, which includes fully automatic shipment processing, allowing us to process more than 6,000 pieces per hour, which is three times our current capacity.
“As DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Freight are also located at Budapest Airport, synergies between the three business units will strengthen, and contribute to a more effective operation, further improvement of services, and development of cross dock businesses. The move will also mean a quality improvement in working conditions, and further efficiency gains in warehouse operations.”
The next freight phase of the BUD:2020 Development Programme will be the development of Cargo City next to Terminal 2, due to be completed in 2019.
The new facilities will provide centralised cargo operations, and expand the Hungarian hub’s cargo handling capacity to 250,000 tonnes per year.
The Hungarian hub experienced continuous growth with new freighters, such as Qatar Airways Cargo, the volume increase of current freighter partners, such as Cargolux and Turkish Cargo, and the belly cargo capacity of passenger operators, including Air China and Emirates Airlines.
The National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL), the oldest association of freight and logistics service providers in the Middle East, recently brought the spotlight on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a logistics hub at the world’s largest gathering of international freight and logistics experts and decision makers at the FIATA World Congress held in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, from October 4-8.
UAE is among the biggest contributors to the GCC’s logistics sector. With Dubai alone awarding construction contracts worth Dh11 billion this year in preparations for the World Expo 2020 and investing much more toward developing infrastructure and enhancing its logistics facilities in the run up to the Expo, the country offers unparalleled smart infrastructure facilities for international businesses.
Globally, the logistic industry is expected to reach $15.5 trillion by 2025, at an average annual growth rate of 7.5percent. As business worldwide becomes increasingly borderless, companies are seeking to expand their operations and are seeking efficient and reliable movement of goods across international borders.
The NAFL delegation met with world’s logistics experts and update, brainstorm, shared information and spoke on groundbreaking issues pertaining to the industry, during the five-day congress.
The delegation comprised of Abdullah bin Khediya, General Coordinator, Nadia Abdul Aziz, President, Ahmed Abdul Razak, Vice President, Praveen Chandrasen, Board Member, Ibrahim Abu Zayed, Board Member, Sudesh Chaturvedi, Board Member, and other leaders from freight and logistics industry in the UAE.
Abu Dhabi Ports has launched Maqta Gateway, a digital platform that provides digital services to different entities including shipping agents, traders, freight forwarders, custom brokers among others to boost trade and efficiency.
Maqta Gateway provides customers with all the information they need about their transactions any time and from anywhere in the world.
As a key outcome, relevant authorities are able to know what goods are coming into their country before their arrival.
“The new system offers tangible economic and security advantages that would lift trade to new horizons. This is the first of its kind in the UAE and also in the region,” said Abu Dhabi Ports Chief Executive Officer Captain Mohammad Juma Al Shamisi.
There was 100 per cent adoption from the customers in ship management, export and import operations, added Al Shamisi.
During its testing period last year, Maqta Gateway logged 37,000 vessel entries and 3.6 million digital transactions.
Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports operates and manages different commercial and community ports within the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in addition to the Port of Fujairah, as well as the trade and logistics hub, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD).
More than hundred services are offered through the new digital platform including registration and payment, container services, general cargo services, as well as cruise ships service.
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
