Head of Air Freight

Head of Air Freight – North Asia

Location: China, preferably Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, or Beijing | Experience: Senior Level (18–20 years overall experience; 10–15 years of air freight industry experience)

About the Company

We are a growing air freight and logistics organization building a stronger commercial and operational platform across China and North Asia. Our business combines an established customer base with the opportunity to rebuild, integrate, and scale air freight capabilities in a competitive market. Two air freight teams are based in Guangzhou and Shanghai, creating a foundation for coordinated regional growth. The Guangzhou operation currently handles approximately 70–80 tonnes of air freight each month, while the Shanghai team is relatively young and leading commercial development across China and Hong Kong. We operate in a lean, evolving environment where decisive leadership, customer proximity, and practical execution directly influence growth. The organization is seeking a hands-on commercial operator who can connect market relationships, team capability, operational discipline, and revenue performance. This is an opportunity to shape a North Asia air freight platform while creating measurable value through new business, stronger customer retention, and scalable ways of working.

About the Role

The Head of Air Freight – North Asia will own the commercial rebuilding and growth agenda for air freight across China and North Asia. The role will convert an existing book of business and market relationships into sustained revenue growth, while integrating operations across Guangzhou, Shanghai, and the wider China market. Success requires an entrepreneurial leader who can win customers personally, build a high-performing team, and establish the operating rhythm needed to scale. The role combines market development, customer acquisition, product ownership, people leadership, and operational integration. It is designed for a hands-on commercial leader rather than a purely managerial executive, with the credibility to engage shippers, partners, airlines, and regional stakeholders. English proficiency is essential for effective North Asia collaboration and stakeholder management.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the North Asia air freight growth plan, translating market opportunity, existing customer relationships, and product capability into profitable revenue and volume expansion.
• Rebuild and scale the China air freight product by setting commercial priorities, improving customer propositions, and converting target accounts into durable business.
• Personally lead new customer acquisition across priority sectors, using strong market relationships and a disciplined pipeline approach to deliver measurable sales performance.
• Integrate the Guangzhou and Shanghai operations through clear ownership, shared performance metrics, and coordinated processes that improve service consistency and commercial responsiveness.
• Build, coach, and retain a high-performing air freight team, establishing accountability for sales execution, customer retention, operational quality, and business outcomes.
• Lead the existing book of business with a retention and expansion agenda, identifying cross-sell, yield, routing, and service opportunities that improve account value.
• Represent the air freight business with regional stakeholders, aligning China execution with North Asia priorities while communicating decisions, risks, and performance in English.
• Establish practical operating rhythms for forecasting, pricing, pipeline reviews, capacity planning, and performance management so growth can scale without losing control.

Essential Skills & Technologies

• 18–20 years of relevant overall professional experience, including 10–15 years in air freight or air cargo and substantial exposure to the China market.
• Proven track record establishing, growing, rebuilding, or turning around an air freight product, branch, team, or business unit in a competitive market.
• Strong new-business development capability with an aggressive hunter mindset, credible customer relationships, and evidence of converting opportunities into recurring revenue.
• Demonstrated people leadership, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and creation of accountable teams across more than one operational location.
• Practical knowledge of air freight pricing, capacity, routing, yields, customer solutions, service delivery, and the operating levers that protect profitability.
• Fluent or highly proficient English communication skills for regional stakeholder management, commercial discussions, reporting, and cross-border collaboration.

Additional Plus

• Experience working in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 air freight organization, independent forwarder, specialist cargo provider, or similarly entrepreneurial operating environment.
• Existing relationships with Chinese shippers, exporters, importers, airlines, agents, and logistics partners across Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, or other key gateways.
• Experience integrating teams, processes, or customer portfolios across multiple China locations while maintaining service quality and commercial momentum.

What You'll Bring

• You bring a commercially proven air freight leadership record and can show where your decisions created measurable growth in revenue, tonnage, margin, customer acquisition, or account value.
• You are an entrepreneurial operator who is comfortable creating structure where processes are still developing. You move quickly, make practical decisions, and remain personally engaged with customers and teams.
• You have the market credibility to open doors and the persistence to convert relationships into business. Your approach combines aggressive hunting with disciplined pipeline management and clear commercial accountability.
• You can build a team around high standards, coaching, and ownership rather than relying on hierarchy. You know how to hire strong operators, develop emerging talent, and address underperformance fairly.
• You understand that commercial growth depends on reliable execution. You will connect customer promises to capacity, pricing, routing, service performance, and operational controls across Guangzhou and Shanghai.
• You communicate confidently in English with regional stakeholders and can explain market conditions, trade-offs, performance, and priorities clearly. You are equally comfortable working with local teams and senior decision-makers.
• You are motivated by the opportunity to shape a growing platform, leverage an existing book of business, and turn a fragmented opportunity into a scalable North Asia air freight operation.

Why Join Us

• Own a visible North Asia growth mandate with the authority to influence commercial strategy, team design, customer development, and operational integration across China.
• Build rather than inherit a finished platform, using an existing book of business and established teams as the foundation for meaningful market expansion.
• Work directly with customers, partners, and regional stakeholders in a lean environment where practical leadership and measurable results have a clear business impact.
• Shape the next stage of air freight capability across China and Hong Kong while developing a high-performing team and creating a stronger, more integrated operating model.

What We Offer

• A senior leadership mandate spanning air freight strategy, customer acquisition, team building, and operational integration across key China locations.
• The opportunity to use an existing business foundation while creating new commercial channels, improving execution, and directly influencing North Asia growth outcomes.
• A hands-on, entrepreneurial environment with regional exposure, meaningful ownership, and the scope to build a durable air freight platform and leadership team.