For the past 21 years, the Airforwarders Association (AfA) has been synonymous with the name of Brandon Fried – the voice for U.S. forwarders in Washington and across the air cargo industry. In FEB26, the announcement came that he would be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the end of this year, thus leaving a large pair of shoes to fill. A formidable match was found and, on 28SEP26, aviation and supply chain leader, Steve Smith was announced as his successor. CargoForwarder Global (CFG) asked Steve Smith (SS) about how he is approaching the handover, his take on the role of the AfA CEO, which policies currently matter most to forwarders and the question of continuity or change, among other things. In this 2-part interview, Steve Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Airforwarders Association, shares his ideas, directions, and visions.
Part 1 looks into plans regarding the AfA’s presence in Washington, along with thoughts on succession, continuity, policy priorities, and helping members with trade volatility.
CFG: You’re taking over from Brandon Fried, who led the AfA for the past 21 years. Is this a position for life and can you see yourself covering the next 21 years?
SS: Brandon’s 21 years is a remarkable run. He built the AfA into the credible voice for forwarders in Washington, and I’m grateful for the time he’s given me during the handover.
I don’t think about this role in terms of a fixed term; I think about it in terms of results. My focus is what the AfA needs to look like in five years: a broader and more engaged membership, deeper working relationships with the agencies that shape our members’ operating environment, and the institutional depth to keep delivering for members over the long haul. That’s the job, and it’s the measure I expect our board and members to hold me to.
CFG: With your extensive background in commercial aviation, MRO, and having built up global humanitarian logistics platform, Airlink, over the past 13 years, you are already a familiar and highly regarded figure in the industry. What relationships and aspects required for advocacy in Washington, are you working on with Brandon during the handover – and is the focus on continuity or will there be change coming in how the AfA is run?
SS: Brandon has spent more than two decades building the AfA’s credibility with policymakers and regulators, and the handover is about making sure that knowledge and those relationships are carried forward rather than reset. We are working through the AfA’s engagement with Congress and federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as our relationships with other industry associations and stakeholders.
In October, for example, we hosted our annual visit to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) with congressional staff, introducing them to the air cargo industry and the challenges forwarders face, from truck access to cargo theft.
The AfA will remain a strong, independent advocate for forwarders informed by what our members are experiencing on the ground. That starts with listening: I’ve been meeting members through a listening tour, and what I hear will shape where we focus.
At the same time, I also bring a new perspective. I spent 13 years building Airlink from a one-person startup into a global humanitarian logistics network, working across aviation, logistics, government, and the nonprofit sector to respond to more than 200 disasters and crises. Before that, I held senior commercial roles at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, where I led airline campaigns including a USD 4 billion-plus engine and services agreement, the largest in the company’s history. Those experiences taught me how to build partnerships, grow organizations, and bring different interests together around practical solutions.
I want to apply that experience to the AfA by broadening engagement with members, strengthening the evidence behind our advocacy, and making sure that when decisions affecting forwarders are being made in Washington and beyond, the AfA is in the room early enough to influence them.
Washington will remain at the center of our work, but air cargo is international. Decisions made overseas on customs, security and commercial terms affect our members as quickly as those made at home. I’ve already been meeting international carriers and global forwarders, because U.S. forwarders need a voice wherever those rules are written.
CFG: Policy priorities: Which three legislative or regulatory changes do you feel would most improve predictability for U.S. air forwarders over the next 12–24 months, and how does the AfA hope to achieve them?
SS: First, we need more predictable trade policy. Forwarders can adapt to change, but rapid shifts in tariffs and trade policy make it much harder for them and their customers to plan routes, price services, and make investment decisions. We need clearer rules, reasonable implementation periods, and better consultation with the businesses expected to comply with them.
Second, the United States needs to accelerate investment in aviation and cargo infrastructure. Congestion around major gateways, aging systems, and vulnerabilities in aviation communications all affect reliability. Recent disruption has shown how quickly infrastructure failures can translate into delays and additional costs throughout the supply chain. We need sustained federal investment to address these weaknesses and ensure our infrastructure can support future growth.
Third, we need a coordinated federal response to cargo theft and fraud, which are taking a serious toll on forwarders’ margins and the wider supply chain. Verisk CargoNet recorded roughly USD 725 million in cargo theft losses across the United States and Canada in 2025, up 60% on 2024. The House passed cargo theft legislation 348–60 in May, and we are pressing the Senate to finish the job. The AfA has also called for a dedicated Federal Cargo Theft and Fraud Task Force to coordinate enforcement across agencies and state boundaries. There is little value in moving cargo more efficiently if we cannot adequately protect it.
Our role is to bring evidence from members directly to policymakers. We will continue to collect operational data and insights from members, provide expert testimony, build coalitions across industry, and engage with Congress and federal agencies. Effective advocacy is rarely one meeting or one letter. It comes from being a consistent, informed voice that decision makers know they can trust.
CFG: Trade-policy volatility: With shifting tariffs and export controls, what practical guidance or tools will the AfA provide SMEs to manage compliance and routing risk without losing speed advantages?
SS: One of the AfA’s strengths is the breadth of its membership. We represent more than 225 member companies, ranging from independent freight forwarders with just a handful of employees to multinational logistics providers. Their resources, operations, and exposure to regulatory changes vary considerably, so there will never be a one-size-fits-all approach to policy or compliance.
What unites our members is the need for clear, workable regulation that protects the supply chain without placing unnecessary burdens on the businesses that keep it moving. For decades, the AfA has worked closely with federal agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Department of Homeland Security, helping to shape and implement security and compliance requirements. Those relationships give us a direct channel to raise members’ concerns, challenge impractical proposals, and help ensure that commercial realities are reflected in regulatory decisions.
For smaller forwarders in particular, access to that expertise and representation is valuable. We can provide timely updates, practical briefings, and opportunities to engage directly with regulators, helping members understand changing requirements without having to navigate every development alone.
There are practical tools available now. Our Cargo Theft Playbook, published in April, gives members of every size concrete steps to reduce their exposure to theft and fraud, and our member webinars and briefings help translate new customs and security requirements into day-to-day operations.
We also have an important role in identifying problems that affect the industry collectively. When members encounter inconsistent customs procedures, new documentation requirements, or routing restrictions, the AfA can take those concerns to the relevant agencies and work toward practical solutions.
Ultimately, our job is not simply to explain regulations after they have been introduced, but to help shape them in the first place. That is where the AfA’s experience, relationships, and collective voice can make a real difference for members of every size.
Thank you, Steve.
In Part 2, next week, Steve Smith talks about how he intends to run the organization, discusses crisis coordination, prioritization, accountability, and shares a personal insight.
