Jacques Ancher wins TIACA ‘Hall of Fame’ award
21 / 03 / 2015
AIR CARGO veteran Jacques Ancher is the 2014 winner of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Hall of Fame award.
The former executive vice-president of KLM Cargo is credited with changing the way air cargo is perceived in airline boardrooms around the world. He is the 49th industry executive to be honoured by TIACA.
During the 40 years Ancher spent at the Dutch airline, 17 of which were in the cargo division, he was instrumental in the company becoming one of the most successful and innovative freight carriers in the world, says TIACA. He retired in January 2001.
Michael Steen, chair of TIACA’s chairman’s council, says airline cargo managers of today have a many reasons to thank Ancher.
“He did more than most to raise the value and importance of cargo to airline chief executives. He was a true business innovator, unafraid of taking risks to demonstrate the need for change, if cargo was to remain relevant to scheduled passenger airlines,” Steen adds.
Under Ancher’s leadership, KLM Cargo was one of the first airlines to segment products and dedicate specialists to handle them. He also pioneered flexible, outsourced freighter solutions to supplement capacity.
Steen adds: “His professionalism extended well beyond KLM issues of the day and he understood that the industry as a whole had to evolve to survive. He sought to impact that change by personal example and conviction, making sure that his business was always in professional hands, recruiting the best and brightest staff he could find and empowering them to effect change and help air cargo reposition itself within KLM and, by example, in other carriers as well.”
Ancher will be presented with his award at the annual Hall of Fame Gala Dinner in April, which is being held in Istanbul, Turkey, this year.
