SEKO Logistics is signalling their next phase of international airfreight growth with two global appointments to leverage opportunities from client demand for critical products, expansion of cross-border e-commerce, and new business from acquired companies.
Christopher Gregg joins SEKO as Senior Vice President Global Airfreight from his previous role as Vice President Airfreight, North America, at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. His experience spans airfreight management roles with C.H. Robinson, Kuehne + Nagel, and Expeditors International. At SEKO, he is based in Atlanta, in recognition of the city’s role as a global airfreight hub, and its strategic importance to SEKO going forward.
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Shawn Richard, appointed as SEKO’s first VP of Global Airfreight in 2018, has also been promoted to Senior Vice President International Service Centers (ISCs) and will remain based in New York. Richard joined SEKO four years ago, having formerly worked with DHL Global Forwarding, Geodis, and Delta Airlines.
SEKO has been transitioning from their legacy Airfreight Gateway structure to operational International Service Centers – which has facilitated and enabled tremendous growth in airfreight and ecommerce shipping service offerings. SEKO’s USA ISCs are currently operating in JFK and LAX and will be expanding into several other key markets over the next 6-12 months. SEKO ISCs are critical for ecommerce and air freight operations as they are Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSF), as well as an acting import CFS for inbound parcels from Europe and Asia. With a global remit to optimize SEKO’s current ISCs and to implement further ISCs across the U.S. and globally to meet the service requirements of airfreight clients.
These key global roles will enable SEKO to “structure and grow our global airfreight product, build our global airfreight team, and drive our airfreight focus in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Europe,” said Steen Christensen, who joined the company in June as Chief Operating Officer – International to lead SEKO’s Air and Ocean freight product growth.
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“Strengthening our airfreight leadership team with new people and new roles reflects the increasing importance this product is having on our organization. As we expand geographically – both organically and through acquisitions – we must have the appropriate leadership in place to manage the future development and expansion of our airfreight products. These new appointments for Chris and Shawn support the needs of our customers and airline partners, the growth of our volumes, and the new business we are gaining,” he stated. “Airfreight is one of our fastest-growing products, particularly as it pertains to our position in Asia Pacific and Europe. This is being driven largely by the significant cross-border ecommerce growth we are helping our clients to achieve.”
SEKO will also be growing their carrier partnerships. “We will continue to build our strong carrier relationships, while making room for new carriers to participate in our business going forward. We will also be working with carriers on products which are aligned to our sustainability goals over the coming years,” Steen said.
