Sunday Brunch: The American Dream looks very different from Hong Kong

Smokestack at the Berkshire Mill in Adams, Massachusetts. AI-generated pix created by the author of this column. (Editor's note: This is a long w'end read - enjoy! If after reading this you are hungry for more insight, you can also read his latest post published on LInkedIn, free to all, titled: 'Adams had textiles. Hong Kong had everything else.') Ford is lending money to its own suppliers so they do not go out of business. General Motors (GM) just committed $4.5 billion to pre-buy parts and warehouse them before they are needed. Read those two sentences together ...

Awery appoints Cornelia Korsch global development director

Awery Aviation Software has recruited former WebCargo by Freightos executive Cornelia Korsch as global development director for Awery and its CargoBooking platform. The appointment is an interesting move in the increasingly competitive air cargo booking technology market, Ms Korsch joining after more than three years at rival digital booking platform WebCargo. She will be responsible for bringing in additional airlines and capacity and increasing adoption of the platform by freight forwarders. Ms Korsch joined WebCargo in November 2022 as global sales manager for airline partnerships, becoming account manager in February last year. She previously spent more than seven years with AirBridgeCargo Airlines in a series of commercial positions, most recently business development manager for digital sales in Europe. Her career in air cargo spans more than 30 years and includes more than two decades with Cargolux. Ms Korsch said: "I'm looking forward to bringing my experience with airlines and technology providers to CargoBooking and working across the air cargo community to help them reach more customers and maximise the opportunities that digital distribution can offer." Awery founder and CEO Vitaly Smilianets said Ms Korsch's understanding of airline requirements from digital booking platforms would be "invaluable" as CargoBooking sought to add carriers and capacity. The appointment follows Awery's recruitment last week of Gianluca Marcangelo, formerly of Challenge Group and Champ Cargosystems, as EVP global sales, as the aviation software company strengthens its commercial team.

Fraport appoints Toepsch as VP cargo development

Airport operator Fraport has appointed Felix Toepsch as its new vice president of cargo development. Toepsch's appointment is immediate and he will be responsible for advancing the cargo business at Frankfurt Airport. He has a degree in business administration and has worked for Fraport since 2013 across a range of roles focusing on business and process development as well as innovation. Fraport chief operating officer Dietmar Focke said: "With Felix Toepsch, we've secured an experienced colleague who has years of experience at Frankfurt Airport and has built a wide network within the cargo community. "In this important role, Felix Toepsch will be able to draw on his experience in business development, digitisation, and process optimisation to develop FRA further and drive growth opportunities in the cargo business." Since January 2023, Felix Toepsch has been executive director of Air Cargo Community Frankfurt, where he has worked closely with airfreight businesses and institutions and represented the interests of more than 115 companies that make up the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt. "As part of his role, Felix Toepsch has backed the continued development of FRA as a leading European airfreight hub," Fraport added in a press release. "He has driven growth of the Air Cargo Community and has also been involved in implementing process and standardisation measures for airfreight at FRA. "Examples include the introduction of a common-use truck slot booking system and the implementation of community-wide standards for cargo procedures. Beyond Fraport and the Air Cargo Community, Felix Toepsch has been active in industry associations at the German and European levels." The appointment comes as Fraport has plans to grow cargo volumes by over 50%, reaching approximately 3m tons of airfreight per year by 2040.