The International Air Cargo Association has elected Sebastiaan Scholte as its new chairman and Steven Polmans as its new vice chairman.

Scholte [left in photo] is chief executive officer of Jan de Rijk Logistics and has been vice chairman of TIACA for two and a half years. He takes over from Sanjiv Edward [right in photo], head of the cargo business at Delhi International Airport.

“TIACA is, and will be, the only organization covering the whole air cargo supply chain, and in order to stay and become more relevant we will now work on becoming more agile and engaging more with our membership base,” said Scholte. “There is a need for more transparency and visibility across the supply chain and TIACA can play a role in facilitating this. In addition, we must ensure we are motivating the next generation of air cargo leaders and you can expect to see TIACA putting an emphasis on training and encouraging young people to join the industry. We can collectively truly make this industry better.”

Scholte has worked in the air freight industry for over 20 years, including at Aeromexico and Cargolux, where he held senior management roles for eight years.

Polmans is head of cargo and logistics at Brussels Airport Company. He has 20 years of experience in the air cargo industry and is also chairman of Air Cargo Belgium. He has previously worked at logistics marketing specialist GLU4 BV and ground handler Aviapartner.

“Collaboration and cooperation between all parties in the air cargo supply chain is the only way forward to solve many of today’s issues,” said Polmans. “TIACA is the only organization representing all of those different players, and we are the natural platform to facilitate genuine collaboration and work towards a more innovative and quality-driven industry.”

Both Scholte and Polmans were formally welcomed to their new roles during last week’s annual general meeting, at the TIACA Executive Summit in Miami, Florida.

“TIACA is fortunate to have two such experienced board members at the helm,” said Vladimir Zubkov, secretary general of TIACA. “We would all like to take this opportunity of thanking Sanjiv for his dedication and energy during his tenure as chairman and look forward to his further contribution.”