The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has appointed Jan de Rijk Logistics chief executive officer, Sebastiaan Scholte as its new chairman and Brussels Airport Company head of cargo and logistics, Steven Polmans as vice chairman.

Both were formally welcomed to their new roles at last week’s Annual General Meeting, part of TIACA’s Executive Summit in Miami.

Scholte was previously vice chairman for two and half years and takes over as chairman from Delhi International Airport head of cargo business, Sanjiv Edward.

“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,” says 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 industry for over 20 years, including for Aeromexico, where he was vice president of sales and he senior management roles with Cargolux for eight years from 2002 and took over as CEO at Jan de Rijk Logistics in 2010.

Polmans says: “Collaboration and cooperation between all parties in the air cargo supply chain is the only way forward to solve many of today’s issues.

“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.”

Polmans has 20 years of experience in the industry and is also the chairman of Air Cargo Belgium, and joined BAC in 2010. He previously worked for

ground handler Aviapartner, before moving on to logistics marketing specialist GLU4 BV.

TIACA is governed by its trustee members who elect the board of directors to manage the association’s affairs and establish its policy. The chairman and vice chairman are elected by the board.

TIACA secretary general, Vladimir Zubkov says: “TIACA is fortunate to have two such experienced Board members at the helm.

“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.”