Steven Polmans leaves Brussels Cargo

Steven Polmans, Director Cargo & Logistics Brussels Airport Company, has decided to make a career shift at the end of 2020. He indicates, however, that he would like to stay in the
industry.

In a press release, Brussels Airport Company reminds that Mr Polmans has worked for Brussels Airport since 2010 and has been in the lead of the Cargo & Logistics team since 2011. In the past
10 years, he has grown Brussels Airport’s cargo business into one of the most innovative in the industry. The achievements in terms of pharmaceuticals, community working, and digitization have
been industry leading and recognized worldwide, also in the form of multiple Best Cargo Airport of the Year Awards.

“Mr Polmans will keep leading the Brussels Airport cargo business in the next months, as he will keep his leadership functions at Air Cargo Belgium and TIACA in this period. More information
on how Mr Polmans will be succeeded will be shared once the time is relevant,”
says BAC.

On the lookout
“I must admit that these are exciting times. At the moment, I do not have another job. I want to finalize what I have been doing in close cooperation with BAC and in the interest of the
community. The reason why we have started communicating at this stage is that we want to avoid the gossip circuit to start up,”
Mr Polmans says.

“Most of all, I would like to stay in this “pond” of course. It is here that I have gained my experience and added value as well as a lot of great moments and I would prefer to continue this
story. I do not have the feeling that this story has ended for me or that I have nothing more to contribute to this industry. So, aviation, air cargo or logistics in a broader sense are what I am
looking at.”

Marcel Schoeters in Brussels


Comment: A Cargo Afficionado exits BRU

Brussels Airport Company’s dynamic Director Cargo & Logistics has decided to step down from his post by the end of 2020. He leaves open the question of where his career will take him from
2021. For the airport and the entire cargo industry, far beyond Belgium, his departure is a huge loss. And not only for them, but also for the media, his departure is a bitter pill, as he, like
few in the air freight industry, always delivered answers when questioned by the press, even in the case of critical issues.

Ever since the promotion of Brussels Airport’s cargo unit into a separate business segment, Steven Polmans was not only part of the game but pushed the business forward, first as Manager Cargo,
after as Head of Cargo followed by becoming Director Cargo & Logistics. Supported by a handpicked and dedicated team, Steven turned Brussels Airport from a mere general cargo hub into a
specialized platform applauded by ground handlers, carriers, and forwarding agents. Brussels Airport was the airport at which shipper-dedicated pharma logistics eventually took off, not only by
giving birth to the IATA CEIV Pharma Accreditation, but also through the set-up of the Pharma.Aero airport alliance and the implementation of the cargo community digital platform BRUcloud.

The different players within the Brussels air cargo environment, at odds with each other for decades, were brought together by joining Air Cargo Belgium which developed into an association whose
words carry weight.
On the global level, too, Steven did not go unnoticed, as he is the incumbent chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). So why, with an impressive record like this, would he
decide to exit BRUcargo?
Could it be that he was strongly in the limelight, made the headlines, and others envied his success? Just a guess. A burn-out syndrome or work fatigue certainly would not have been the reason
for his impending move.

In a recent talk with CFG about the on-going development of BRUcargo, Steven said that – soon – it would be time for the airport to lean back and enjoy what has been put down over the past few
years.
Maybe he was referring to himself as well? Or did the disaster brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak prompt the BAC board to tighten the strings? Googling ‘BAC Organigram’ will produce no such
thing as ‘cargo department’. ‘Cargo and Logistics’ is one of the 4 teams of the Business Development Department, a set-up different from the initial split-off of the cargo business. Anyway, the
recent crisis has led to a reshuffling of the global economy, including air cargo. In order to reshuffle, one needs a skilled croupier. It certainly will not take long for somebody to offer
Steven the card pack.

Marcel Schoeters / Heiner Siegmund

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Source: Cargoforwarder

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