Brussels, Belgium: Nallian, the world’s leading and most trusted partner in creating connected cargo hubs and optimizing freight management processes, today announced the appointment of Lionel van der Walt as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective July 1st, 2024.
In this role, Mr. van der Walt will be responsible for spearheading Nallian’s growth strategy, based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
“Lionel’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Nallian as we continue to expand our footprint in the global market,” said Jean Verheyen, CEO of Nallian. “His extensive experience, network and strategic vision will be instrumental in accelerating our growth trajectory and delivering exceptional value to our customers, starting in the US where we already work with leading players such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Menzies in Los Angeles.”
van der Walt brings a wealth of experience in the logistics and supply chain industry. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership positions at prominent logistics companies, where he developed a proven track record of fostering innovation, driving market adoption, and building strategic partnerships.
Most recently, van der Walt served as Chief Growth Officer at Raft, and prior to that, as Global Chief Commercial Officer and CEO Americas at PayCargo. He is recognized as an industry transformation evangelist, boasting extensive international experience spanning Southern Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Americas.
Prior to his time at PayCargo, van der Walt was President at Cargo Network Services (CNS) in the US, held various leadership roles at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and prior to that he worked at South African Airways, was an air traffic controller and served in the South African Air Force in the early stages of his career.
“I am thrilled to join the talented team at Nallian and contribute to the company’s continued success,” said Mr. van der Walt. “I am excited about the opportunity to lead Nallian’s commercial efforts and drive growth in key markets, particularly in North America, a region with immense potential for growth. I look forward to working closely with our customers and partners to deliver innovative solutions that address their evolving needs.”
Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Dr. Jan-Wilhelm Breithaupt has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Jettainer, the global leader in Unit Load Device (ULD) management services, effective June 1, 2024. He succeeds Thomas Sonntag, who has overseen the company’s international growth since 2019 and is leaving the Lufthansa Group at his own volition effective July 1.
A highly experienced airfreight expert, Dr. Breithaupt, holds a doctorate in production logistics and has been driving industry-wide digital transformation projects and process improvement initiatives for more than 20 years. He held various positions within the Lufthansa Group and was most recently responsible for global customer service and handling management at Lufthansa Cargo.
In this role, he pioneered various digital services for handling, including the electronic Air Waybill. Together with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Digital Test Field Air Cargo, he drove forward the ONE Record initiative, which aims to create a standardized data model to seamlessly integrate all elements of the supply chain and thus improve collaboration within the industry.
“Jettainer will be well-positioned for success under Dr. Breithaupt’s leadership. I am very pleased to hand over to an industry leader with deep expertise in ULD management from the customer’s perspective. His professional focus on digitalization and customer service will ensure Jettainer continues its path of sustainable growth,” Sonntag stated on the leadership transition.
Dr. Breithaupt added, “I appreciate Thomas Sonntag’s dedication and success in growing Jettainer during challenging times for the aviation industry. I wish him the very best in his future endeavors. I am honored to take on this role and look forward to leading Jettainer into its next phase of innovation and excellence. Together with a great global team and international partners, we will continue to drive forward digital transformation and enhance our services for our global customers.”
Sharjah, UAE: Charles Szar has been appointed as President of global cargo airline, AeroTransCargo (ATC). He will be based in the company’s operations headquarters, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Szar brings over 30 years of commercial, civil aviation, and military aviation/aerospace experience to AeroTransCargo from key roles working in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In his new post, he is based in Sharjah, UAE.
Since its formation as a charter and leasing cargo airline in 2014, AeroTransCargo has provided international transportation services for shippers, freight forwarders, logistics providers, and charter brokers. In the last 12 months, its fleet of five Boeing 747-400 freighters has successfully operated more than 2500 flights carrying more than 122 million of kilos of cargo.
“I am delighted to welcome Charles to AeroTransCargo. He has an outstanding blend of career experience that will align perfectly with the expertise we already have within ATC. This combination will ensure we continue to deliver the operational quality our customers expect and inspire fresh thinking as we look to grow our commercial operations,” said Guneet Mirchandani, ATC’s Chairman.
As President, Szar will now lead the development strategy for AeroTransCargo as it leverages its key role in the aviation market and looks for further growth opportunities. He will also work closely with Air One Aviation, AeroTransCargo’s exclusive global sales agency, to help connect supply chains around the world.
In doing so, Szar will utilize career experience spanning more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and Army as well as that gained during key roles with global brands such as United Technologies and Hilti, and during his near three years as Director of Customer Engagement with TWI, an ADS Company, based in Dubai.
Prior to joining AeroTransCargo, Szar spent four years as CEO of aviation solutions provider Sky One in the UAE. He has a dual Master of Science in Aviation/Aerospace Management and Aviation/Aerospace Safety Systems from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Liberal Arts from Excelsior University.
“With the caliber of the ATC team and our dedicated partners, we have an exciting future ahead of us. Our ambition and ability to grow align perfectly with the new opportunities presented by our customers. The success of our journey hinges on the incredible people we work with,” said Szar.
Châteauroux, France: Vallair, the mature aircraft asset specialist dedicated to the support of operators and lessors, has appointed François Biarneix as Operations Director.
Based in Chateâuroux, Biarneix will oversee the strategic deployment and operations of Vallair’s aerostructure and composite shop, engine shop, logistics department, and aircraft dismantling activities.
Biarneix brings a wealth of management experience, further strengthening Vallair’s senior team and capabilities. His work history spans over two decades, recently including the role of Technical Manager for a supplier specializing in the parts production for Airbus and Safran programs, and later as a Plant Manager in the automotive sector.
During Biarneix’s career he headed the team that successfully transferred A330 component production from Airbus’ Nantes facility to their Indraero facility. This included the creation and expansion of a technical department and orchestrating significant plant transformation, resulting in substantial revenue growth.
With a passion for the aerospace industry, Biarneix explains why he was drawn to Vallair: “I see opportunities ahead for implementing standards and procedures, optimizing layouts, deploying Lean tools and streamlining processes to improve TATs and deliver increased cost-savings for customers.
“I believe one of our greatest strengths as a company is our flexibility and the ability to adapt to market trends and changing demand. Vallair has exciting plans to expand its operations including increased aerostructure capacity, creating a logistics hub, and increasing dismantling activity. We are also looking at further development in our new engine shop to manage module replacement through to maintenance.”
Vallair is an aviation company with facilities in Luxembourg, Châteauroux and Montpellier in France. It provides integrated support for mature aircraft, engines, and major components. Seven complementary business units are founded upon engineering excellence: trading & leasing, cargo conversions, aircraft MRO, engines, aerostructures & painting, material management and aircraft disassembly.
London, UK: Chapman Freeborn has grown its European senior management team in Poland, Finland, and Italy as part of its ongoing strategy to ensure local expertise and greater customer facing presence throughout its global network.
Rocco Cellucci, Annika Eerola, and Patricia Piecuch will head-up sales operations in Italy, Finland, and Poland respectively, and bring a combined 70 plus years of air industry experience and expertise to the charterer’s Europe operations.
All three positions will focus on the expansion of Chapman Freeborn’s passenger, commercial, and private jet service portfolio.
“The flexibility Chapman Freeborn offers customers is based on a combination of tried and trusted operational procedures and strategic investment in local knowledge and experience,” said James Edwards, Vice President Passenger, Europe, Chapman Freeborn. “We welcome Rocco, Annika, and Patricia to our team and look forward to working with them.”
Cellucci has over 34 years of experience within the Italian aviation industry, including roles at Alitalia and Eurofly, whilst Eerola, previously a private jet pilot, has over 20 years’ experience in the Finnish aviation market, and Piecuch has worked for 12 years in the Polish aviation industry.
Beyond Europe, and in line with its strategy of investing in local expertise, Chapman Freeborn recently announced the appointment Mark Thibault as President, Asia Pacific (APAC) and, Alain Champonnois as President, India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA).
Baku, Azerbaijan: Silk Way West Airlines, the leading cargo airline in the Caspian and Central Asian region, appoints Onno Pietersma as its new Chief Operating Officer.
With over 25 years of experience in the aviation industry, Pietersma is poised to propel the airline towards new levels of operational efficiency, technological enhancement, and customer service.
In his new role, Pietersma will champion critical initiatives designed to enhance the stability and reliability of the expanding Silk Way West Airlines’ operations. These key factors will contribute significantly to improving the airline’s on-time delivery performance.
“Strengthening the stability of the network is essential for elevating our service delivery,” Pietersma commented. “By extending network planning and enhancing turnaround efficiencies, we are committed to optimizing on-time delivery directly benefiting our customers.”
Wolfgang Meier, President of Silk Way West Airlines, expressed his support for Pietersma. “Onno’s impressive career and dedication to teamwork and process improvement have consistently elevated operational standards. His strategic vision is integral to driving significant advances in our operational performance and enhancing customer satisfaction.”
London, UK: The Seahorse Freight Association has appointed Parveen Raja, Director and Publisher at EVA International Media Ltd and Robert Minton-Taylor, Visiting Fellow at Leeds Beckett University to its Board and relaunched its Summer BBQ networking event.
The two new Board members bring decades of experience in public relations, journalism, publishing, and sales to the management team of the not-for-profit organization, which champions career and networking opportunities for journalists in supply chain and transport.
Parveen has launched and managed aviation titles and events including Airtransport Publications in 1994, and EVA International in 2007, which publishes titles such as Cargo Airports and Airlines Service (CAAS) and Airline Routes & Ground Services (ARGS), organizes events globally, and broadcasts the EVA Podcast.
“I am looking forward to working with the Board to help shine a light on best practices in journalism for our industry, we must encourage new writing talent by recognizing excellence,” said Parveen. “My experience of running the commercial side of publications and launching magazines means that I understand the importance of great journalism and I am pleased to be able to bring that insight to the Seahorse Board.”
Robert trained and worked as a journalist before moving into public relations, spending over 47 years working for clients in the air cargo, rail, road and maritime sectors. Twenty-four of those years were spent working with Wallenius Wilhelmsen as their Global Media Relations Manager while also teaching public relations at Leeds Business School, part of Leeds Beckett University. He is a former Chairperson of Seahorse and a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award for services to shipping.
“I am passionate about helping young people to thrive in careers in journalism and PR and have been a long-term supporter of Seahorse, which I believe provides fantastic opportunities for the NextGen to both network and understand what great journalism looks like,” said Robert.
“I campaign for greater diversity in the PR profession, as well as for gender equality and Living Wage for internees, and am looking forward to helping the Board to drive initiatives around these important issues.”
The Seahorse Freight Association, which was formed in 1962, brings companies in the supply chain, logistics, and transport industry together with the media who report on them and the Public Relations and marketing professionals who work in the sector.
The Association holds an annual Journalist Awards celebrating excellence in reporting and open to reporters all over the globe.
Seahorse has also relaunched its Summer BBQ networking event, which will now be held on 17th June 2024 at Doggett’s Coat and Badge in Central London.
“Robert and Parveen bring important experience from across the publishing and PR industry to add to our diverse Board of professionals,” said Emma Murray, outgoing Chairman of Seahorse and CEO of Meantime Communications.
“As well as organizing the Awards and networking events such as the Summer BBQ, we will be looking to launch new initiatives this year, and their support to help this happen is very welcome.”
Dubai, UAE: dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, announced the appointment of Clive Sauvé-Hopkins to the position of Divisional Senior Vice President (DSVP), Airport Operations.
In his role, Clive will oversee dnata’s global ground handling and cargo business at 97 airports in 16 countries. He will manage a team of over 37,000 customer-centric aviation professionals, ensuring consistent high-quality and safe services for more than 330 airline customers.
Clive brings with him extensive international experience in commercial strategy and business transformation, having held several senior leadership positions with Swissport, Servisair, Aviapartner, Qatar Airways, and the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ).
Clive will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and report to Steve Allen, dnata’s Group Chief Executive Officer. His appointment is effective immediately.
“I’m pleased to have Clive on board our global management team. Clive has all the experience and skills to drive our growth strategy and ensure consistent quality and safe services, with a continued focus on people and sustainability across our global operations. I look forward to working together as we enhance our business and offering,” said Allen.
dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.
Miami, Florida: The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that six new members have been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors ensuring effective representation across the industry.
The new Board members bring together a wealth of knowledge and experience from across the industry. New Board members include Jannie Davel, MSC Cargo, Martin Drew, Atlas Air, Diogo Elias, Avianca Cargo, Dirk Goovaerts, Swissport International, Boon Kiam Kuah, SATS Ltd. and Nichole Schulz, UPS.
“A strong and diverse Board has proven beneficial to the transformation of the association over the last few years. The appointment of these new Board Members will not only ensure that we remain agile and relevant but will also provide the Board with a fresh perspective. We are excited to welcome Jannie, Martin, Diogo, Dirk, Boon Kiam and Nichole to the team and look forward to working with them as we continue our work in enhancing TIACA’s services and ensuring we are fully aligned with industry needs,” said Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair.
Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA, commented, “2024 is a critical year for TIACA and having strong leadership in place is vital to the association as we continue to grow and invest in programs that support the industry such as BlueSky, Invest in Climate Action and the Air Cargo Training Library. The team is also actively planning for the latest edition of Air Cargo Forum, November 11-14 in Miami which is expected to draw 4,000-5,000 to a world-class event that will allow for plenty of networking, business and fun.”
“Additionally, the Board has tasked the Secretariat to continue to expand other TIACA programs that tackle industry challenges through a united voice to enhance a safe, efficient and robust air cargo industry, designed to meet the needs of today whilst anticipating the needs of tomorrow,” he added.
The association currently has a full Board seat allocation with one vacancy as we have reserved a seat for a representative of the Shipper community, but additional seats may become available as current Board terms end. Should anyone be interested in serving on the Board in the future, please reach out to the Secretariat.
Hong Kong, China: Cargo iQ, has today announced the appointment of a new Executive Director, Marie Seco-Köppen, and formally launched a new membership engagement scheme, which aims to further drive quality in the air cargo industry.
The scheme includes a tiered membership program, as well as a scorecard system measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across cargo movements, with both initiatives being piloted by Cargo iQ Board members.
Seco-Köppen, brings over 20 years’ experience in delivering process improvements and digitalization within global air freight.
She joins Cargo iQ from Im3pact AG, a consultancy for global transportation, and will take over from the current Executive Director, Lothar Moehle, a driving member of the organization since its inception 26 years ago, is retiring in June after a 50-year career in air cargo.
“This new chapter promises to be exciting, and I am looking forward to engaging with the Board and members to further extend Cargo iQ’s unique cross-stakeholder quality program,” said Seco-Köppen, who is currently the Master Operating Plan (MOP) Working Group Chair at Cargo iQ.
“In our fragmented industry, quality standards and digitalization remain crucial to attain increased performance visibility, which is required to remove redundancies and jointly
drive-up service consistency for the shipper.”
Seco-Köppen will formally step up as Cargo iQ Executive Director in May 2024.
“Cargo iQ is taking the next step in driving quality in our industry by engaging members in two initiatives that put implementation transparency at the heart of the process, as well as ensuring all stakeholders have clear KPIs against which they can measure success and define improvements,” said Moehle.
The scorecard initiative, which is under development for both forwarder-carrier and
carrier-ground handling agent relationships, concentrates on measuring selected Cargo iQ Milestones, including Notified for Delivery (NFD) performance, which is a core KPI for the group.
Other KPIs are related to timely and complete information exchange during the execution along the shipment journey.
“For balance, we also include important Data Input Quality KPIs, as one cannot perform a service if data is input incorrectly,” said Rutger Jan Pegels, Director Performance Management, KLM Cargo, and Vice Chair, Cargo iQ.
The tier system scheme awards members Bronze, Silver, or Gold membership according to level of implementation and conformance to reporting.
“With these new initiatives, we are creating more transparency among members related to the level of implementation towards whole network and or shipment scope,” said Kerstin Strauss, Vice President, Global Operations Air Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel , and Chair, Cargo iQ. “We are facilitating focused dialog on improvement to reach higher coverage.”
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