Qatar Airways Cargo has announced the appointment of Kirsten de Bruijn as Senior Vice President, Cargo Sales and Network Planning. She replaces Peter Penseel, who joined CEVA Logistics back in June as Chief Operating Officer- Air Freight.
Kirsten is a veteran with 13 years of experience in management in the air cargo industry. She joins from Dubai-based carrier Emirates SkyCargo, where she spent four years as Vice President- Cargo- Pricing and Interline. Prior to that, Kirsten was Director for Pricing at Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP), and has previously served for more than five years at Martinair in various capacities.
Guillaume Halleux, Chief Cargo Officer at Qatar Airways said, “The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the need for flexibility and agility. It has also fast-tracked demand for digitalisation. Optimising the utilisation of freighters, the network, pricing and processes will mean embracing digital as the central vector of change.”
“We share the same vision of the industry and Kirsten perfectly understands the sector’s demands – as well as its volatility and its extremely competitive nature. She is able to challenge existing processes thanks to her customer-focused vision and extremely high standards. She is a major asset to the Airline,” Halleux added.
Kirsten commented, “Air cargo is probably one of the most competitive industries out there. It means you have to find ways to avoid being commoditised and you have to think globally – to constantly be aware of the speed with which technology is changing how we do business.”
“Qatar Airways Cargo represents the cutting edge of change in the global air cargo market. I want to be a part of that movement. Part of my role is to build a sense of team spirit and collective purpose. I like to hire people that are better at what they do than I am, so I can create the best team possible,” Kirsten said.
