Each week, CargoForwarder Global’s ‘Spotlight On…’ focuses on a different segment of the air cargo industry. Freight forwarders and integrated logistics providers have a very varied pallet of responsibilities from organizing airport-to-airport and door-to-door airfreight movements, to offering customs brokerage/clearance and trade-compliance services, warehousing logistics, digital visibility, and multimodal connections, among other things. They act as a key intermediary between shippers, airlines, ground handlers, and customs authorities, to ensure the efficient, cost-effective, and compliant movement of shipments across the world. This week, Marie-louise Beck (MB), Product Manager Airfreight Europe at Gebrüder Weiss, shares her experiences, thoughts and insights.
CFG: What is your current function and company? And what are your responsibilities?
MB: I am Regional Product Manager Airfreight Europe at Gebrüder Weiss. I help shape the strategic direction of our airfreight product and drive its development together with our stations across Europe.
An important part of my role is supporting our local teams and managing relationships with our airline partners and other key business partners. This means bringing people, ideas, and requirements together to develop solutions that work for our customers and our network.
CFG: What does a normal day look like for you? Or is there such as thing?
MB: I usually start the day with a priority list. Whether it still looks the same a few hours later is another question!
My work includes analyzing figures and reports, improving processes, and developing ideas for our product. Alongside that, there are conversations with our stations and partners, questions to resolve, and developments that require us to react quickly.
The challenge is to give everyday topics the attention they need while still making room for strategic development. That variety keeps the job interesting.
CFG: How long have you been in the air cargo industry, and what brought you to it?
MB: My journey in freight forwarding started with my apprenticeship in September 2007. I spent the final year of my three-year apprenticeship in airfreight, and it simply clicked. I have never left the sector since.
My first connection to the industry came much earlier, through my family. Both my mother and stepfather work in logistics. As a child, I sometimes visited my mother at work and listened to her conversations with colleagues. Looking back, those were my first little lessons in freight forwarding!
CFG: What do you enjoy most about your job?
MB: The variety of my role and the people I get to work with. I have a broad network of colleagues and external partners, and I enjoy connecting them, exchanging ideas, and finding solutions together.
My role allows me to be a connector, a negotiator, and someone who helps others develop. Product management involves many stakeholders, so having a good idea is only part of the job. You also need to get people involved and inspire them to move in the same direction. That is something I really enjoy.
CFG: Where do you see the greatest challenges in our industry?
MB: One of the greatest challenges is adapting to a market that can change overnight. For customers with sensitive commodities or urgently needed shipments, a disruption can have consequences far beyond the transport itself. We need to understand that impact and respond accordingly.
At the same time, we need to combine digital development with personal service. Digital tools can make us faster and more accessible, but customers also need someone who understands their situation and takes responsibility when things become difficult.
Airfreight remains a people business. Attracting young talent and showing them how interesting and varied this industry can be is therefore another important task. Good employees will always make a difference.
CFG: What advice would you give to people looking to get into the air cargo industry?
MB: Be open, stay curious, and enjoy it! Whatever role you choose, you will work with people, so take an interest in them, listen, and ask questions.
I believe a willingness to learn and develop can tell you just as much about a person’s potential as a qualification. You do not need to know everything when you start, but you should be willing to keep learning.
For freight forwarders, IATA courses can provide a useful technical foundation. Practical experience is equally valuable, and neither replaces continuous learning. The industry moves quickly, and our knowledge needs to keep pace.
CFG: If the air cargo industry were a film/book, what would its title be?
MB: ‘Expect the Unexpected.’
For me, air cargo is a huge playing field where all stakeholders need to work hand in hand. So many different factors influence what we do that no two days are quite the same.
Crises come and go, but working through them together helps relationships grow and processes improve. Every day has an element of surprise. You never quite know what is coming next, and that is part of what keeps me fascinated by this industry.
Thank you very much, Marie-louise!
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.
