Fly­ing high with the Blue MBA

The airfreight industry is recovering from the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and is up 10% compared to 2019. This growth is mainly fuelled by China, North America and Europe. Additionally, as the shipping industry struggles with container shortages and port constraints, manufacturers, importers and exporters are switching to airfreight solutions to avoid the bottleneck.

“During the last 18 months, we have experienced an imbalance in the global market,” observed Kristine. “The congestion build-ups in the sea freight market have led to a high demand for air transport. Raw materials, machinery, hi-tech and automotive are among the strongest growing industries and commodities that have seen such changes versus 2019.”

“Having access to capacity is key in the current market and serving our customers with hard block agreements and dedicated space on commercial aircraft combined with full and part charters has been a success for us during the pandemic.”

Kristine adds that due to speed and reliability airfreight is a crucial mode of transport in a company’s supply chain, especially for mission-critical shipments. “While only 2 to 3% of the total cargo volumes globally are transported by air, this still accounts for 35% of the total cargo value transported each year. E-commerce is one of the main drivers in the air cargo industry and +20% of the air cargo volumes in 2022 is expected to come from the e-commerce market.”

Lately, she has observed an increased interest in alternative transport solutions like rail and sea-air combinations, which are not only faster than ocean and cheaper than air freights, but also reduce the Co2 emission by a whopping 50%. To broaden her horizon and profit from the high focus on the logistics industry, she has decided to pursue the Blue MBA education.

"I immediately felt the dynamic in the group, and it is clear that Irene has put a lot of effort into selecting the candidates for the programme. We have been given a great opportunity to create and be part of a global network.”

She is convinced that the Blue MBA will support her on her journey into general management.

“As a member of the national board of directors in Sweden, I want to ensure that we define the right strategy going forward and that we develop together with our customers where sustainability and industry solutions will be important drivers.”

Before becoming part of the national board of directors in Sweden, Kristine has had a long career in air logistics. She started her career with a two-year traineeship focusing on airfreight and express solutions in the Danish company DFDS Transport A/S (now DSV). After that she continued to work for DFDS Transport, but relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to explore the industry from a global perspective.

In 2006 she joined Kuehne+Nagel, where she has occupied various positions with the Air Logistics business units. Besides being a board member for the Swedish national management board, Kristine holds the position of senior air logistics director. She was engaged in the process of re-defining the company’s strategy as well as a re-structuring it. This included taking the tough decision to close two operational offices to centralize operations.

See The 50 inspiring Champions of the Blue MBA Class of 2023 – Meet Kristine Palm, which is the original source for quotes and information included in this adapted feature.