10 fresh faces in air cargo in 2017

Along with a resurgence in confidence in airfreight, the first half of 2017 has seen an unusually high number of personnel changes and promotions among the executive ranks of air carriers and other logistics firms, while some of the industry’s legends have decided to step down. While this is hardly a comprehensive list, Air Cargo World highlights 10 of the most influential new names in cargo so far this year:

Marcel de Nooijer

At the start of the new year, Marcel de Nooijer was named the new executive vice president of Air France-KLM Cargo. De Nooijer joined KLM in 1995 and has gained commercial and operational experience working in various positions at KLM, and its cargo division, as well as at Air France-KLM, most recently serving as executive vice president KLM Cargo.

Turhan Özen

Turkish Airlines also appointed Turhan Özen as its new chief cargo officer in January. Özen joined the carrier in 2016, and held a similar position at CEVA Logistics, eventually becoming deputy managing director of commercial at CEVA in 2011.

David Bronczek

In one of the first mild surprises of the year, FedEx Corp. named David Bronczek as its new president and chief operating officer, taking over from legendary founder and CEO Fred Smith, both of whom were awarded Co-Executives of the Year in 2015 by Air Cargo World. The move came a full year earlier than expected, as Smith said Bronczek’s promotion was accelerated after the success of the TNT merger. Bronczek has been with FedEx since the mid-1970s, starting out as a courier and later handling management roles in Canada and Europe, and as vice president and chief operating officer of the express division.