Joost van Doesburg will succeed Anne Marie van Hemert as Head of Cargo at Schiphol Airport. Mr van Doesburg is an established veteran in the industry and well versed in European transport policies.
Meanwhile, conflicts within Schiphol's management over the airport's development strategy continue. More and more leading executive are leaving AMS.
Since 2019, Mr van Doesburg has been active in the VNV, the largest trade union in the Netherlands. Before that, he was the public affairs manager of the Dutch Association of Airlines
Pilots.
His experience with the air cargo industry goes back to his days with the Dutch Shippers’ Council, evofenedex, which he also represented within the European Shippers’ Council (ESC).
As Secretary of the Council of Air Shippers (2009-2015), he represented the interests of large users of air freight towards governments and other stakeholders in the supply chain. Within the ESC,
he was given the function of Air Freight Policy Manager.
ACN happy
Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN) is more than satisfied that air cargo is given back a dedicated and well-positioned role within the Schiphol organization. “We have got to know Mr van Doesburg as
an ambitious and discerning person. In his role at evofenedex, he was a strong advocate of the interests of the shippers, which led him to regularly criticize the Dutch air cargo chain,”
says Managing Director, Maarten van As.
“We have also closely collaborated in the creation process of the Air Cargo Policy within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. His move from the FNV to Schiphol group was a
big surprise for us.”
Speeding up developments
“During last year’s Air Freight Conference at The Hague, Mr van Doesburg still made it clear that, as far as he is concerned, some developments within the air cargo industry are not going
fast enough. The slot discussion at Schiphol takes too much time. The Port Community System (PCS), that was taken over by Schiphol 2 years ago, is in need of innovation. Apart from this, there
are infrastructural challenges at Schiphol Zuid-Oost. Now that he, himself, is in charge in the Schiphol cockpit, the expectations towards him and Schiphol are extremely high.”
The renovation of the PCS, the development of the new cargo village, Schiphol-Zuid-Oost, and the Smart Cargo Mainport Program are among the major challenges on Mr van Doesburg’s plate.
Reinforcement of Schiphol’s position
Joost van Doesburg says that he is excited about his return to the air cargo industry after 7 years. “Together with the air cargo community at Schiphol, I want to engage in speeding-up
innovation, sustainability, and customer experience, to reinforce the position of Schiphol as a preferred airport in Europe.”
“As a trade union man, I have been able to monitor lot of issues in the Schiphol Group over the last four years. The social deal reached in June 2022, brought a giant step forward towards an
airport with the aim of the well-being, labor conditions, and working environment for the thousands of irreplaceable staff. This change has enabled my move.”
Ongoing management reshuffle
On 21JAN23, Schiphol announced what seems to be another episode in the company's senior management shakeup. Following the departures of CEO, Dick Benschop, CIO, Sjoerd Blüm and Aviation Business Development Directer Anne Marie van Hemert (CargoForwarder Global reported) the next to go is COO Hanne Buis.
Reason seems to be that an unbridgeable difference of opinion has recently arisen on the operational management of the airport. In a statement, Ms. Buis regrets that she and Schiphol Group part based on these differences.
According to Maarten van As, Managing Director Air Cargo Netherlands, air freight was part of the portfolio for which Ms. Buis was responsible. "Hanne was COO Operations, which includes air cargo. She was in C-level management. Just below her is Patricia Vitalis, Director Operations. Anne Marie van Hemert reported to Patricia and Patricia to Hanne. Joost van Doesburg too will report to Patricia, but he is dedicated head of Cargo, while Anne Marie had other issues on her plate."
Marcel Schoeters in Amsterdam
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