Cargo veteran, Nouri Neller will become Managing Director of consolidator, IGLU Air Cargo GmbH. The 56-year-old was unanimously appointed by the five advisory board members, for the IGLU management position, prevailing over four other candidates. His first day at the office of the company which is based near Frankfurt Airport, will be 05MAY25.
Karl Eduard Günther Gasthuber’s days at the helm of the non-profit alliance, IGLU Air Cargo, are numbered. He has been there since 01NOV2006, and will soon hand over responsibilities to his successor, Nouri Neller. The two will work together for a few more weeks to familiarize Nouri with the organization, its business model and the associated member firms, before Gasthuber retires in summer.
Booking platforms have increased the competition
Founded by logistics veteran, Dieter Haltmayer, IGLU Air Cargo has now been in business for 23 years. Not only do the balance sheets bear witness to the consolidator’s economic success, but a lot of dust has also accumulated. What impetus does IGLU Air Cargo require and where is there an urgent need for action? CargoForwarder Global (CFG) put these questions to Nouri Neller (NN).
CFG: What will be your first activities when you start at IGLU come 05MAY25?
NN: I will start with a trial phase, also supported by my colleague, Gasthuber, in order to develop a deeper understanding of the business model and the respective roles of the member companies.
Selling IGLU positively
CFG: And after that?
NN: Then, my team and I will primarily focus on selling our services internally, followed by external activities to make airlines or GSAs even more aware of us. The emergence of digital booking platforms has increased competition, which we want to counter with our successful consolidation model. However, this is only possible if the stakeholders support this approach through their daily business practices. That fact is that we need to sell the IGLU product positively, both internally and externally, and convince the market of our services. This includes an update of the IT system to become more agile.
CFG: The basic problem with alliances is the mistrust between the members, as was the case with the air freight alliance, WOW. At IGLU, too, some member companies fear losing sensitive data to competitors through the consolidation of shipments. How do you deal with this?
NN: By maintaining the multi-master principle. This means that the shipment data remains with the sender, without others being able to take a look at it.
IGLU expects a long-term commitment
On the occasion of Neller’s nomination, CargoForwarder Global (CFG) spoke to IGLU Advisory Board member, Stephan Haltmayer (SH) about the upcoming change.
CFG: What makes Neller stand out and why did the IGLU Advisory Board choose him out of the five candidates?
SH: He has an excellent network in the local cargo industry, knows the Frankfurt air freight market well through previous professional activities, and makes a very dynamic impression in his appearance, which is very important in business negotiations. We hope that his appointment will enable us to fill the management position on a long-term basis. In our discussions, we did not get the impression that Nouri Neller sees his role as IGLU Managing Director as a career springboard.
CFG: The prime interest of the 24 IGLU member companies is to achieve price advantages by consolidating their shipments on certain routes. On other trade lanes, they act as competitors, caring about their own business. Strengthening cooperation between the members and connecting more routes to the IGLU network is likely to be a mammoth task for Neller.
SH: We trust him to be able to make a difference there. He has to act neutrally in order to gain the trust of the shareholders and still provide new impetus so that IGLU continues to develop. Admittedly, this is a balancing act, but our impression is that he will master the exercise.
CFG: IGLU hardly ever makes an appearance at public events. Shouldn’t the alliance change course to become better known, which might help when discussing rates with airlines?
SH: I agree. We could raise greater awareness among market participants.
CFG: Let’s talk briefly about your company, Quick Cargo Services. You opened a new station last week. Where?
SH: In Mirano, near beautiful Venice. We obtained the license to run our own business in Italy just days ago. Shortly before this, we opened a branch in Sofia, Bulgaria. We are now represented in 14 European countries with 35 offices. This makes us the largest owner-managed European freight forwarder.
