IATA cargo group announces leadership transition

Cargo Network Services conference welcomes record number of delegates

Cargo Network Services is holding its annual partnership conference this week. (Photo: Eric Kulisch/FreightWaves)

TEMPE, Ariz. — Frederic Leger announced Tuesday during the heavily attended Cargo Network Services Partnership Conference that he will hand the presidency to Laura Pullins in June so he can focus on being senior vice president of commercial products and services at the International Air Transport Association

Pullins is director of digital supply chain at Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based HULFT, a data integration services firm in the logistics space. She has held a series of logistics management positions at Ocean Insights (now part of project 44), Wholesome Sweeteners and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. 

CNS, based nearby in Miami, is an IATA subsidiary that represents the air cargo industry in the U.S. and provides payment processing, consulting and market data services to members.

Leger took the CNS helm after Michael White retired at the end of 2020 and divided his time between IATA’s Geneva office and Miami. 

From 2007 to 2013, Leger was head of cargo business process and standards at IATA. He will join the CNS executive board in addition to his duties at IATA.

Organizers said this year’s conference, the first without any COVID restrictions in three years, is a financial success thanks to more than 700 registered delegates, 35 sponsors and a record 43 hospitality suites booked. The figures reflect pent-up interest among industry representatives to meet again with colleagues and the strong market that has helped air logistics companies achieve strong bottom lines.

Attendance is 26% higher than the previous record set in Miami in 2019. 

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Air cargo veteran White to retire as CNS President

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com