CargoForwarder Global’s ‘Spotlight On…’ series brings the many different facets of the air cargo industry to the fore, inviting a different individual each week, to share their job insights, experiences, and advice. Customer global logistics providers build a supporting network between shippers and all the required transport partners to ensure that air cargo shipments get from origin to international destination, reliably and on time. This week, CargoForwarder Global hears from Jenni Frigger-Latham (JFL), Owner and Board Member of EMO Trans (Corp).

CFG: What is your current function? And what are your responsibilities?
JFL: I am an Owner and Board Member, having transitioned from Sales & Marketing to focus on the Board, ownership and governance.
CFG: What does a normal day look like for you? Or is there such a thing?
JFL: My days are quite changeable, I could be discussing sales development in Chile, or supporting the restructuring of the team in Canada. We also have big infrastructure investments across the globe that we discuss. For example, we are opening a number of new markets (Romania and Poland); we are investing in a new ops system which everyone knows is challenging but will bring us big rewards; and we are investing in staff who are focused on our global efforts rather than only one country.
CFG: How long have you been in the air cargo industry, and what brought you to it?
JFL: I was born into it, although I only started actively working when I was 14 in the summers. It is wonderful to have family connections in a such an interesting, far reaching dynamic field.
I started out in accounting, reconciling numbers and learning from people who are still close friends and allies. My father and I were extremely close (I was even his assistant for a period of time). I learned a lot from him, and he made me run a P&L because it’s the best way to learn about business. After starting in accounting, doing sales and running a branch, I had the broad strokes of what it takes to be a forwarder. The nuances of how to create a good dynamic in a company, how to negotiate so everyone wins, are best learned through osmosis by just being around people who are good at that. Jo and his chosen collaborators were all very good at doing this.
CFG: What do you enjoy most about your job?
JFL: We’re like engineers integrating dynamic systems and solving complex problems, and along the way we meet some amazing people who really share space in the life raft.
CFG: Where do you see the greatest challenges in our industry?
JFL: Geopolitical global forces have become quite unstable. This means we cannot predict what the climate in business will be like in some key markets. Technology is also both a boon and a source of pressure for our industry. AI, and pricing algorithms are reframing how competition works in gaining business and carrier space. We need well trained knowledgeable personnel to keep up.
CFG: What advice would you give to people looking to get into the air cargo industry? Any particular training they should aim for?
JFL: I think someone who is able to toggle between a macro framing and micro framing of global economic issues would be well suited to do this job. As an entry level person, it could be harder these days to gain overall context in a world where training and job experience has become quite specialized. Be sure to look up every once in a while to keep your perspective broad and to see both challenges and opportunities coming.
CFG: If the air cargo industry were a film/book, what would its title be?
JFL: I’d say it’d be more of a 5 season show. You could call it “Weight Break”
Thank you, Jenni, for your insights.
If you would like to share your personal air cargo story with our CargoForwarder Global readers, feel free to send your answers to the above questions to cargoforwarderglobal@kopfpilot.at We look forward to shining a spotlight on your job area, views, and experiences.