Just a few years ago, CHAMP looked at Cargosystems strugglewhen customer and shareholder Cargolux took a step back and younger competitors seemed to gain an advantage over what was essentially an old technology company.
Now it has propelled itself back to the top level, undoubtedly through the leadership of Chris McDermott, whose CV described him at the time as “a good strategic thinker with an excellent track record in creating highly motivated and value-generating management teams, both in early stage and in transformation/turnaround companies.”
Mr McDermott’s job appears to be over – and he is leaving the company for personal reasons, it said, as he returns to Britain.
CHAMP is now thriving and has won a major player as its new CEO: WebCargo’s co-founder Manuel Galindo.
Following Freightos’ acquisition of WebCargo in 2016, Mr. Galindo continued to lead the company, driving growth through e-bookings from airlines and freight forwarders. He then became Chief Revenue Officer at Freightos, which is itself seeing a turnover, with founder Zvi Schreiber set to step down from his role as CEO at the end of this month. Mr. Galindo left the company in November 2024 and founded a capital Advisory, which he quit in December.
The new role takes effect from today and will focus on “a platform-driven, long-term perspective aimed at addressing the changing needs of the air freight market”.
“His strategic priorities include strengthening the CHAMP Neo platform, improving interoperability between airline and partner systems, and supporting customers as air cargo continues to evolve toward more standardized, digital and data-driven operations. Under his leadership, CHAMP aims to strengthen 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 that Chris has established. As I step into this role, my focus is on strengthening CHAMP’s position as a highly trusted, mission-critical technology partner for the global air cargo community. Our industry is rapidly evolving and we are committed to delivering the resilient, interoperable and forward-looking solutions our customers need to thrive in this new digital age.”
David Lavorel, CEO of SITA Group, said: “Manuel steps into this role at a pivotal time for the air freight industry. With IATA predicting that global air freight demand will grow by 2.6% by 2026… the pressure on airlines, handlers and forwarders to scale efficiently has never been greater. As digitalization accelerates and operational complexity increases, the industry is more reliant than ever on robust, flexible and seamlessly connected platforms to keep global supply chains moving.”
It’s not the only household name joining the company. Gianluca Marcangelo from Challenge Group joined as VP Neo program engagement in November.
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