Glyn Hughes to resign as head of TIACA

Director general will stay with air cargo group through the end of 2026

TIACA Director General Glyn Hughes moderates a panel discussion at the annual Air Cargo Forum in Dubai last November. (Photo: TIACA)

Glyn Hughes will step down as executive director of The International Air Cargo Association at the end of the year, the organization announced this week.

TIACA represents the spectrum of air cargo stakeholders: shippers, forwarders, ground handlers, airports, airlines, manufacturers and IT providers. Hughes has led the group for five years, taking over during the height of the pandemic after six years as head of cargo at the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines.

TIACA said it has launched a search for a new director general. Hughes was given more power by the board to set the organization’s strategy, personnel and finances than predecessors had.

Under his tenure, the professional development and advocacy organization surpassed 500 members; created awards programs to recognize industry leaders in sustainability; partnered to form Pharma.aero, which works to encourage collaboration and sharing of best-practices between parties in the pharmaceutical supply chain; built an online training library; appointed regional representatives in Latin America, India, China and the Middle East; and increased the number of industry events. 

Instead of a biannual trade show, TIACA now holds events in Miami and Abu Dhabi on a rotating basis. The next Air Cargo Forum is Oct. 26-29 in Miami.

Hughes has directed TIACA to focus more on outreach programs in areas such as safety, security, digitalization and innovation, and less on trying to shape national and international regulations.

Hughes is the second head of an air cargo trade association to announce his departure this year. Last month, Brandon Fried tendered his resignation as executive director of the U.S.-based Airforwarders Association, effective at the end of the year.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

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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