Anne Marie van Hemert, Schiphol Airport’s Director Aviation Business Development and, as such, also responsible for cargo, will leave the company this FEB23. Air Cargo Netherlands was taken by surprise but hopes that a successor will bring back visibility for the airport’s cargo business.
Ms. van Hemert’s departure was made public by the Dutch transport paper, Nieuwsblad Transport. It quotes unnamed sources at the airport describing the operation as a ‘clear out’, initiated by the
new CEO, Ruud Sontag. The sacking of Sjoerd Blüm, the group’s Chief Information Officer, preceded Ms. van Hemert’s by just a few days.
A Schiphol veteran of 14 years, Anne Marie van Hemert was promoted to her new position in MAR21, after a major reorganization operation which also led to the layoff of a large number of leading
managers in the cargo business.
Cargo among other things
In the new organization, cargo was indeed part of Ms. van Hemert’s responsibilities, even if it lost visibility within the new structure. In an exclusive interview with CargoForwarder Global in SEP21, she denied any accusation of cargo
being passed over in the new scheme.
Another ball she had to keep in the air was airport security and, as such, she may have had to bear the brunt of last year’s apocalyptic waiting queues, an insider suggested to our NT
colleagues.
Strong commitment
Air Cargo Netherlands has not been provided with details about Ms. van Hemert’s departure, says Managing Director, Maarten van As. “We have got to know her as a committed, hard-working and
no-nonsense manager who had to tackle an overflowing agenda of which cargo was only a part.”
“That is the reason why we repeat our earlier call to the Schiphol Management to appoint a dedicated Director for Cargo, who will focus on the development of the Schiphol air cargo hub. This
is not something that can be done ‘on the sideline’ and the market clearly demands a ‘cargo face’.”
Lots of work for the successor
Mr. van As recalls the number of important developments that lie ahead for Schiphol Airport. “First of all, the airport has to assure that especially cargo aircraft continue to feel welcome
at the Schiphol air cargo hub. The number of slots has been under pressure for years, today more than ever.”
“Apart from this, Schiphol wants to take a big step in the digitization of the air cargo chain. We - Schiphol and the entire air cargo community - have taken some beautiful steps over the
last few years, for which we are very grateful to Anne Marie. However, we are not there yet. The Schiphol airport community has a clear image of where we want to go in digitization, but the Port
Community System is in need of a total makeover. In short: Anne Marie’s successor will have her/his work cut out!”
Contacted by CargoForwarder, Schiphol Group confirms that Ms. van Hemert is to leave the airport. According to the press office ‘a procedure has been started for her succession’. Given Ms. van
Hemert’s track record, she will no doubt be in for a new challenge very soon.
Marcel Schoeters
We welcome and publish comments from all authenticated users.
Write a comment