Brendan Sullivan takes charge as global head of cargo at IATA

July 13, 2021: Brendan Sullivan took charge as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) global head of cargo with immediate effect. 

The Canadian national has worked in air cargo for 20 years including spending 14 years at IATA. Since January, he has been acting as global head of cargo alongside his role as head of cargo operations and ecommerce.

Recent achievements include leading two key IATA initiatives:

• The One Source platform: This provides comprehensive information on infrastructure capabilities critical to taking advantage of special cargo and e-commerce activities.
• The IATA FACE Campaign: This builds the next generation of air cargo leadership by attracting, developing, and retaining young talent within the air cargo industry. Over 200 cargo professionals are engaged in the initiative.

He began his career in air cargo at Air Canada in 2000, where he gained frontline operational experience and developed expertise in dangerous goods handling that facilitated his transition to IATA in 2007.

“Brendan will be a great Global Head of Air Cargo. He knows the industry from frontline operations to the development of global standards. He recognises the critical need for modernization to meet the needs of air cargo’s biggest business opportunities - ecommerce and special cargo. And he has the passion to drive a post-crisis agenda that will strengthen air cargo’s contribution to the global economy and to the airline business,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety and security.

In January this year, Glyn Hughes left the position of global head of cargo to join as director general of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).