Revived CHAMP Cargosystems turns to WebCargo co-founder Manuel Galindo

It was just a few years ago that CHAMP Cargosystems looked to be struggling, as customer and shareholder Cargolux stepped back  and younger competitors appeared to be gaining the edge over what was effectively a legacy tech company. 

Now, it has propelled itself back into the top tier, no doubt via the leadership of Chris McDermott, whose CV at the time described him as “a good strategic thinker with an outstanding track record of creating highly motivated and value-generating management teams, in both early stage and transformation/turnaround businesses”. 

Mr McDermott’s job appears to be done – and he is moving on from the company for personal reasons, it said, as he relocates back to the UK.  

Now thriving, CHAMP has won itself a big hitter as its new CEO: WebCargo’s co-founder Manuel Galindo. 

After WebCargo’s acquisition by Freightos in 2016, Mr Galindo remained to lead the company, driving its growth via airline-forwarder e-bookings. He then became chief revenue officer for Freightos, which itself is seeing a change in personnel with founder Zvi Schreiber set to leave his role as CEO at the end of this month. Mr Galindo left the company in November 2024, founding a capital advisory, which he quit in December. 

The new role is effective from today, and will focus on “a long-term, platform-driven perspective focused on addressing the evolving needs of the air cargo market”.  

“His strategic priorities include strengthening the CHAMP Neo platform, improving interoperability across airline and partner systems, and supporting customers as air cargo continues to move toward more standardised, digital, and data-driven operations. Under his leadership, CHAMP aims to reinforce its role as a trusted, mission-critical technology partner for the global air cargo ecosystem.” 

Mr Galindo said: “I look forward to building on the strong strategic foundation Chris has laid. As I step into this role, my focus is to reinforce CHAMP’s position as a highly trusted, mission-critical technology partner for the global air cargo community. Our industry is evolving rapidly, and we are committed to delivering the resilient, interoperable, and forward-looking solutions our customers need to thrive in this new digital era.” 

David Lavorel, CEO of SITA Group, said: “Manuel steps into the role at a pivotal moment for the air cargo industry. With IATA forecasting global air cargo demand to grow by 2.6% in 2026 … the pressure on airlines, handlers, and forwarders to scale efficiently has never been greater. As digitalisation accelerates and operational complexity increases, the industry is relying more than ever on robust, flexible, and seamlessly connected platforms to keep global supply chains moving.” 

It is not the only well-known name joining the company. Challenge Group’s Gianluca Marcangelo joined as VP Neo programme engagement in November.