Sandrine, what drove you to pursue a career in aviation?

Sandrine: I’ve started my career in aviation by coincidence in 1997 with Crosssair. After completing my university degree in foreign languages, I was destined to become a Spanish teacher, but it became obvious that the aviation industry would be the perfect sector where I could make the most out of my foreign languages knowledge in French, English, Spanish, Italian and German. This coincidence led me to the cabin as Maître de Cabin and instructor for six years. I’ve then moved on to Maintenance Sales at two major maintenance companies in Geneva for eight years. I had the privilege to join back SWISS in 2013 as Head of Cabin Crew base Geneva for eight years and half. This has been one of the most challenging, inspiring, and rewarding stages of my professional journey.

We imagine the work in the cabin to be very different from the processes in the cargo business. What made you switch and how is your new adventure going so far?

I wanted to explore a new area of the aviation industry where I could learn new things and get challenged in a totally new environment. Airfreight became an obvious choice for me in 2022, as it would perfectly complete what I like to call my 'hybrid' professional career. Airfreight is a fascinating environment because of its complexity, especially within an airline whose core business is the transportation of passengers. I love it very much as I can learn so much.

It’s indeed true that the work in the passenger side might look very different from the cargo business, but the goal is the same. We work to deliver the best-in-class service to our valued customers so that they are loyal to us. My role would then always be to enable my cabin crew members in Geneva back then or my respective Cargo Market Switzerland team members now to deliver the best quality, reliability, and security in their respective areas of responsibility. In both roles, you need to understand the market actors’ needs, be it passengers or freight forwarders and shippers, so that the organization is ready to meet those needs. Cabin operations and goods transportations must comply to strict regulations to ensure quality, security, and safety. In this regard, cabin operations and airfreight are not that different. In the cargo business or in the cabin, my team and I are part of the value chain of the customer service.

How does a day as Head of Cargo Market Switzerland at Swiss WorldCargo look like?

I would be tempted to say that every day looks different. Nevertheless, there is a common denominator, which is customer centricity, that applies to external and internal customers. My office is at Operation Center 4 at Zurich Airport (OPC4) with my Zurich-based colleagues from sales and sales support functions, customer service and export office. I’m also responsible for our Geneva and Basel stations colleagues, so I’m travelling from one location to another on a regular basis to have much needed regular interactions with my people. Being part of the leadership team, I also often participate in interdepartmental meetings, and I’m involved in the implementation of various ongoing projects at our Head Office. A highlight of my role is also our customers visits all over the country, as well as in Lyon and Strasbourg.

What would you say are the three most exciting aspects of your everyday professional life?

In the cargo business everything is very dynamic and volatile: On one side there is the belly capacity, on the other side the demand from shippers, which is triggered by their production steering. The way in which everything changes so quickly is as exciting as challenging. Receiving positive feedback from customers is very rewarding, but so is also the engagement of my teams.

If you could make one wish about the future developments of the airfreight industry, what would this be?

A desired and common sustainability approach from all airfreight industry actors.

Can you tell us what’s next on your bucket list?

Next on my bucket list is to go on vacation with my family in the beautiful Euskadi/Pays Basque in August for two weeks. On a more mid-term time frame, learning a new language is on my bucket list. It could be Hebrew, Russian or Arabic, surely a language with a different alphabet than ours. In the meantime, I do my best to improve my Swiss German.

Thank you very much Sandrine for your time and the valuable insights you shared with us.