Airlink founder named CEO of Airforwarders Association

Longtime Airforwarders Association Executive Director Brandon Fried has passed the gavel to Steve Smith, who was announced today as the organization's new chief executive. "Air forwarders are operating amid extraordinary uncertainty in global trade," Fried told Cargo Facts . " Tariffs , geopolitical conflicts , changing trade rules and volatile fuel and transportation costs make it increasingly difficult for companies and their customers to plan." [caption id="attachment_57149015" align="alignright" width="300"] Brandon Fried[/caption] Fried, who has led the Airforwarders Association (AfA) for twenty-one years , will remain with the organization through yearend to assist with the transition. "My priority is to give Steve the institutional knowledge, relationships and background he needs while also giving him the room to lead," Fried said. He said he will provide "context on the issues already in motion," including a rapidly evolving security and regulatory environment, cargo theft and fraud, inadequate airport infrastructure, and government staffing shortages. New CEO for growing AfA Smith has more than twenty-five years of leadership experience in the aviation and air cargo logistics spaces. [caption id="attachment_57299181" align="alignright" width="300"] Steve Smith[/caption] In 2013, he founded Airlink, a nonprofit organization that provides rapid-response humanitarian relief and served as its president and CEO for thirteen years. Airlink works with more than fifty airlines and logistics companies, as well as 250 humanitarian groups across about 100 countries. The organization has responded to more than 200 disasters and crises, from earthquakes to flooding , geopolitical conflicts to pandemics . Before founding Airlink, he was a director with Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace for four years. He also serves: On the board of InterAction, an alliance of international NGOs; As a board trustee for Aero Club of Washington, a nonprofit organization that promotes discussion and enthusiasm for aviation and aeronautics; and On the advisory board of GoCrisis, a crisis management company. “The work of the AfA has rarely been more important, with shifting trade policy, geopolitical disruption and aging infrastructure adding pressure on supply chains that are already stretched,” Smith said in a release today. Smith did not respond to requests for comment by time of publication. Though Fried was executive director, Smith has become the AfA's first CEO, a title change that "reflects how much the association and the position have grown," Fried said. The AfA has 225 member companies, works with government leaders to enact policy and has a growing event portfolio, he said. “Chief executive officer more accurately describes the strategic, operational and external leadership responsibilities the position now carries," Fried said. "The association’s mission and board governance remain the same, but the job's scope and stature have evolved considerably. "In many ways, the title change recognizes what the position has become and where Steve will take it next." Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register today .

Airlink founder named CEO of Airforwarders Association

Fried to retire after leading organization for 21 years

Swissport enters Indonesia with Unex joint venture

Related Posts

Retaliatory tariffs hit US imports into Canada

July cargo traffic data shows global growth ahead of uncertain peak

Freighter capacity grew in August

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password