News / Exclusive: Menzies cargo chief Robert Fordree quits

Menzies Aviation’s Robert Fordree is set to leave the company.

Mr Fordree, who has served as Menzies’ EVP for cargo since 2019, is expected to announce, according to industry sources, that he will replace Henrik Ambak as head of Emirates SkyCargo’s ground handling operations.

A Menzies Aviation spokesperson said: “Robert Fordree has decided to move on from Menzies Aviation to join an airline. Cargo remains a key focus for our business and we have bold plans to accelerate growth even further.”

Mr Fordree joins with experience in the Middle East, having left Menzies for the first time in 2008 to join Emirates’ nearest rival, Etihad, where he served as head of cargo operations for five years.

Mr Ambak’s pending departure from Emirates marks the end of more than eight years in the role. He was previously with Cargolux for 13 years, as VP for ground services and commercial IT.

Mr Ambak has also retired from the role of chair of CargoiQ after four years. He is to be replaced by vice chair Kerstin Strauss, vice president, global air logistics operations, Kuehne + Nagel. The new vice chair is Rutger-Jan (RJ) Pegels, director performance management & analytics, KLM Cargo.

The Menzies news comes a little over a fortnight after The Loadstar broke the news that chief cargo officer for Qatar Airways, Guillaume Halleux, is thought to be leaving the carrier, after an exodus of North American management.

Over in Abu Dhabi, SVP for global sales & cargo for Etihad, Martin Drew, is also departing, after 17 years with the carrier.

UPDATED JUNE 29, 20,00 GMT TO INCLUDE MENZIES QUOTE