Building on the momentum from its last Executive Summit and considering the feedback from members, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has announced plans to speed-up its transformation program.
According to TIACA, its transformation journey started in 2018 with a primary objective to make the Association financially sustainable and strong enough to take up the challenges requested and needed by its members in the long term. The second transformation priority is to adapt TIACA’s agenda and focus to the new challenges faced by the industry.
Steven Polmans, Chairman of TIACA, said: “Our last Executive Summit in Budapest in November 2019 received incredibly positive feedback, which encouraged us to redouble our efforts. While the COVID-19 crisis forced us to slow down on our new initiatives, it has highlighted the crucial nature of air cargo for economies and society, the need for greater and more efficient industry collaboration and the relevance of TIACA’s mission to unite the air cargo community. It has also been seen by the Board as an opportunity to speed up TIACA’s transformation journey to better support our members and the air cargo community moving forward.”
Last month, upon recommendations from a special Transformation Task Force composed of seven Board members, TIACA’s Board of Directors unanimously voted in favor of the plan to accelerate the move to the “new TIACA”. The goal of this final stage of TIACA’s transformation is to make the Association fit for its newly redefined purpose
The Association has mandated the consulting firm, Change Horizon, to deliver its transformation program by the end of August 2020 with a revised governance structure and a fitter organizational set-up established.
As part of the change, the role of the Secretary General will evolve. TIACA needs a Director General accountable for the organization’s strategy, delivery model, team, and financials. Today, this role is more limited and vaguely split between the Chairman of the Board and the Secretary General and it leads to inefficiencies. The new TIACA needs to be more agile and responsive to the market’s needs, he said.
Mr. Polmans also noted that Vladimir Zubkov will continue supporting the Association, pursuing the work with ICAO and supporting Industry Affairs and Advocacy efforts. During the transition phase, Celine Hourcade will act as the Transition Director of TIACA to ensure business continuity until the future Director General of TIACA is appointed.