Tony Charaf back at Delta cargo helm

IT IS said that good managers always get results, but extraordinary ones can move mountains and never leave their staff behind.
Delta Air Lines’ new senior vice-president and chief cargo officer, Tony Charaf (pictured, right), easily falls into the latter category. He is back at the cargo helm at Delta, having left some eight years ago to run technical operations for the US airline. It is the air cargo industry’s privilege to have him back.
Only eight weeks back into his old job, he is already formulating an impressive blueprint for Delta Cargo (DC), with one aim in mind: to see his division lead the airfreight industry.
What distinguishes his approach from others who have trod the well-worn path of establishing themselves in a new post, is his awareness that he cannot do it alone.
“We succeed through our people,” he enthuses.
Charaf exhibits all the hallmarks of a visionary. He is genuinely passionate about DC and the carrier as a whole in equal measure.
By all accounts, the division is not doing too badly – it recorded US$1.4bn in revenue in 2011 – but Charaf acknowledges there is plenty of room for improvement.
He is fired up for the challenge. “We have got to get better. It’s one of the reasons I am energised and excited about my new position,” he reveals. Of his former cargo role, he says: “I left a lot of good friends behind.”
His main focus now centres on sustainability, IT solutions and making it easier for customers to work with DC.
That is why the division’s approach to e-freight will become strategic under his tenure.
“Technology is an enabler and we do not have access to live data yet," he enthuses.
“Yet, we are going to own and drive the brand delta.com and we’ll become paperless. The world is moving that way.”
Read more about Charaf in Air Cargo News…

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