The International Air Cargo Association has elected Emir Pineda, trade and logistics manager of the marketing division at the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, to the TIACA board.

The Miami-Dade Aviation Department operates Miami International Airport, which is the largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, handling 83% of all air imports from and 79% of all exports to the region.

“It is an honour to have been selected to be a member of the board of TIACA, the only organization that truly represents the entire cargo supply chain,” said Pineda. “For my tenure I would like to continue to pivot the association towards innovation, thus adding value to our members and the entire global logistics industry. In addition, I hope to attract greater focus and participation from Latin America, which has historically been under represented in the association.”

TIACA recently signed memoranda of understanding with several Latin American organizations who will be participating in the association’s biennial Air Cargo Forum, including the Argentina-based Americas Alliance, the Colombia-headquartered Federation of National Associations of Cargo Agents and International Logistical Operators of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile-based logistics provider Universal Agencies South America and the Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders.

“TIACA has been growing its global footprint as part of our new mission and vision for the association,” said Sebastiaan Scholte, chairman of TIACA and chief executive officer of Jan de Rijk Logistics. “MIA is the main gateway between the Americas, which is an important growing region for us.”

Pineda started his career as an intern at MIA in 1988 before and has since worked in senior business development roles for cargo at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Air France/KLM Martinair Cargo. He has also served as commercial route development manager at Cargolux, responsible for sales and operations throughout Latin America, according to TIACA.