Each year, the TIACA Hall of Fame honors air cargo professionals who have played a role in the progress made by the aviation sector and have helped to shape and grow the industry. This year, TIACA has chosen to give recognition to Issa Baluch, the multi-faceted air cargo expert, for all of his work as a key player in the industry.

“I am honored, humbled, and mighty grateful for this award,” said Issa Baluch. “Family and friends are equally joyed and to me this is a testament to the many teams and individuals that have worked side by side with me to excel, be it in the logistics world, or in Corporate Social Responsibility!”

Issa Baluch
Issa Baluch

Gifted and versatile, Issa Baluch has built a very impressive portfolio of skills alongside his career: by turns an author, speaker and advisor, he is also the Founder and CEO of Swift Freight International. To name just a few of his other achievements, this multitalented expert is also Chairman of the FIATA Logistics Academy and was the founder and the first president of the Dubai-based National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) before receiving two Lifetime Achievement awards for his outstanding services to the international air cargo industry.

Last but not least, in 2011, Issa Baluch was invited by Harvard University to become a Fellow in their Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) program and currently acts as visiting Chair Professor at several universities, focusing on multimodal transport.

This incredible career richly deserves the recognition given by TIACA on behalf of the whole air cargo industry.

“Issa is an exceptional individual who came from humble beginnings. He has not only been successful in business but has also contributed to wider society and therefore deserves the honor of receiving this prestigious award,” said Sebastiaan Scholte, Chairman of TIACA’s Chairman’s Council.

One of the roles of the Chairman’s Council (which is formed of the previous holders of the position) is to choose the award recipient each year. Issa Baluch will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during TIACA’s Executive Summit 2019, which will take place from 19 to 21 November in Budapest.