Ulrich Ogiermann leaves Qatar Cargo, moves back to Europe

October 15, 2017: Qatar Airways’ Chief Cargo Officer Ulrich (Uli) Ogiermann said that he will step down in December this year from his current position at the Doha headquartered global carrier after steering the cargo division of the airline into the world’s third largest cargo carrier. Ogiermann leaves at the height of his personal career best and after making Qatar Cargo an indisputable leader in the global air cargo industry. Ogiermann became the Chief Cargo Officer in 2012.

“It has been a very tough decision. My team and I were privileged to develop QR Cargo from small numbers to become an important player in terms of quality and size,” Ogiermann was quoted in a report by The Loadstar. Ogiermann cites family reasons for the decision and says he will continue to support Qatar Cargo on a consultancy basis.

According to a report in CargoForwarder Global, Guillaume Halleux, current Vice President of Cargo for Asia Pacific at Qatar Airways, will replace Ogiermann as Chief Cargo Officer. Halleux, a French national has been with Qatar Cargo for less than a year and half. Before joining Qatar Cargo, Halleux held key positions at Bolloré Logistics and Air France.

However, Qatar Cargo has not given any official statement of Ogiermann leaving the organisation or Halleux replacing him. We are waiting for an official comment from Qatar Cargo on the changes in the senior leadership.

In fact a few days back Qatar Cargo welcomed its thirteenth Boeing 777F and its first Boeing 747-8F as part of its global expansion strategy. Continuing its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion, the world’s third largest international cargo carrier’s fleet now includes 22 freighters, comprising eight Airbus A330F, 13 Boeing 777F and one Boeing 747-8F. A second Boeing 747-8F will join the fleet later this year, making the fleet size into 23 freighters.

“The new freighters will be deployed on long haul routes in scheduled services and will further boost QR Charter services, allowing us to provide bespoke air charter services for various industries, including the industrial and oil and gas sectors,” said Ogiermann while welcoming the thirteenth B777F into the network.

Qatar Airways Cargo has made substantial investment in its operations at its Doha hub to ensure all cargo deliveries are processed efficiently and seamlessly. Special facilities and well-trained personnel ensure expert handling over a wide variety of product categories, which include express products, livestock, valuables, automobiles, perishables, pharmaceuticals, oversized cargo and general cargo that requires air freight carriage.

Ogiermann was born in Hanau, Germany. He has been in the air cargo industry for the last 25 years. He started his career with Deutsche Lufthansa AG and then moved over to Lufthansa Cargo as Route Manager Cargo for the Americas based in Frankfurt, when they became an independent entity. In 1993, he was posted in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was in charge of Cargo Sales and Services for Southern Africa.

In 1998, he moved on to work for Cargolux SA. In Luxembourg, initially as SVP Global Sales & Marketing and in 2003 became President and CEO of Cargolux. In 2011, he was appointed as Advisor to the Board. During his career, he held additional senior roles in the air cargo industry; for many years he has been a member of the IATA Cargo Committee as well as Chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) in 2009 and 2010. He also held positions as Non-Executive Director and Board member in listed companies and served on the Board of the International School of Luxembourg.

He studied Economics in Frankfurt and holds a doctorate in Economics from Johann Wolfgang Goethe- University, Frankfurt. It was in 2012, he took over the position as the Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways, based in Doha. Ulrich is of German and Luxembourgish nationality.