In our popular podcast series, cargo.one Founder & Co-CEO Moritz Claussen hosts candid chats with visionaries from all across the logistics world, uncovering their formative experiences and most valuable advice. Subscribe today!
cargo.one:one continues with powerful insights from a well known and highly respected leader from the Scandinavian air freight scene – Camilla Gram, Head of Global Sales & Marketing at SAS Cargo. Approaching her 20th year in the industry, with experience spanning route management, customer care, and regional and global sales, today Camilla is responsible for driving SAS Cargo’s success in many competitive markets worldwide.
Camilla recalls her first taste of international logistics, as she traversed Asia as a child, thanks to her father’s career in sea shipping. A job with a passenger handling agent at Copenhagen Airport during her studies, and a subsequent two year traineeship at Scandinavian Airlines would soon instil the inevitable aviation bug.
Camilla’s career at SAS would firstly span the passenger operation as a Route Controller and leader within its Customer Support. She oversaw important transitions for the airline, as it expanded internationally and embraced a raft of new technology. Camilla learnt important transferable lessons about the aviation industry, the importance of customer focus, and respecting regional needs.
Enjoy the full length episode, here:
Stepping into SAS Cargo meant a rapid education into all things air freight – “ULDs, chargeable weight, actual weight, volumes, cubics, contours, overhangs, etc”. However, Camilla’s clarity of thought, talent for problem solving and a naturally collaborative nature meant she progressed fast, and she remained central to the carrier’s innovation and progression ever since. Camilla shares her admiration for her operations and support colleagues: “I learned a lot from my time in customer support, both in terms of what worked well, but also in terms of what worked less well. And I think that time also really confirmed my passion for working closely with our customers.”
“If you don't have your customers, you don't have your business and you really need to respect that…when it comes to customer needs specifically, you should think global, but you should respect local.”
Camilla Gram
Pioneering digital
SAS Cargo was the first airline to launch e-booking for air cargo capacity and went live with its first portal in 2015. Camilla has always been a strong advocate for digitalization, educating freight forwarders towards the many digital business benefits: “Digital solutions that are more tailored to specific customer needs and thereby also adapting a bit more to business to consumer expectations would be what I would highlight as the most valuable for the customers.”
SAS Cargo has remained active at the forefront of digital freight, helping to drive adoption in regions worldwide. “If you wanted to do an urgent booking at 11 o'clock in the evening, then online was of course a natural tool for you to use. We introduced dynamic pricing at the same time and they could see 28 days out in the future…So once they could also see the commercial benefit of things, that was really also the turning point.” Camilla also points to the “emergence and growth of marketplaces” as a valuable development for SAS Cargo’s forwarding customers.
“I think some of the best outcomes I've seen actually come from healthy disagreements because of the fact that people actually felt heard and were working towards the same goal.”
Camilla Gram
Scandinavian culture and indeed SAS Cargo itself is synonymous with sustainability efforts, as the carrier aims to be “a driving force in shaping a more sustainable future for aviation and logistics.” Camilla continues to help drive new sustainability efforts, recruiting partner support around the world: “I do believe that everybody knows it's important. It's just you have to pitch it in the right way…We take action across all areas of the business, from developing more sustainable solutions for our customers, but also to constantly improving how we plan, how we fly, and how we deliver”.
An example of this progress is SAS Cargo’s cardboard planks for build up that are 80% lighter than traditional wood and 100% recyclable. Camilla also points to the importance of greener trucking network fleets, as part of a holistic approach. She sees industry collaboration as key: “There is no single company that can drive success and transformation alone because success comes from partnerships and shared goals.”
Future talent
Camilla is passionate about the supply of new talent into air logistics: “Mentoring and supporting the next generation of women in logistics is something I take seriously”. In order to attract more diversity into the industry, Camilla believes we must “make career paths more visible and relatable”.
As a number of cargo.one:one guests have shared with us, Camilla points to the need for far better showcasing of industry achievements and opportunities: “People need to see that there are many different roles and also that women are already succeeding in them…we need to be better at showcasing all of the amazing work already being done. Everything from female ground handlers, flight planners, warehouse managers, and even executives.”
“We absolutely need more women in air cargo…Diverse teams just drive better outcomes.”
Camilla Gram
Camilla remains highly energized about the future and is keen to help guide SAS Cargo and the wider industry into its next era. She admits: “It's all about the people, meeting different cultures, different backgrounds and staying connected, exchanging ideas, creativity, and working together as a team”.
Want to know what profession Camilla was en route to before catching the aviation bug? Tune into Episode 10 now to find out! 🤩
cargo.one:one features many more exciting guests in the series. If you enjoyed this episode, stay tuned to our blog or subscribe using your favorite podcast platform including Spotify, Apple podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Castbox and more.
