It was 105 degrees hot in the shade in Hyde Park, New York and 86 degrees or thereabouts in Hong Kong yesterday.
     They turned up the air conditioning in President Roosevelt's home, today a museum in Hyde Park, where during the darkest days of The Great Depression in 1933, he delivered his first fireside chat that stopped a run on the banks and lifted a troubled nation.
      Two very smart and dedicated men at The International Air Cargo Association TIACA Executive Summit named Glyn Hughes, (l) TIACA Executive Director and Tom Owen, (r) Director Cargo, Cathay Cargo  met to discuss the current world situation in air cargo.
       Following all of this, sitting in the greatest city in the world under a heat dome causing rolling blackouts and discomfort for millions, the brilliance and effort here sounds way out of step, branded 'Fireside Chat' in Summer heatwaves.
      Just saying . . .
      This from Bob Rogers on location.
      Tom Owen: “We heard that over and above the usual culprits of safety, efficiency, compliance, sustainability making good use of digital data is a challenge and an opportunity."
       Tom expressed his huge support for One Record; CX is an early adopter but cautioned that moving air cargo across borders remains an incredibly complex activity and there is a long way to go.
      Turning to strategy, It’s no surprise that the conversation focused on geopolitics and trade uncertainty.
      Cathay delivers the branding: “ Flying into Uncertain Skies.”
      Tom’s perspective is that such uncertainty actually can create short-term gains but longer term, he is less clear.
      Turning to people, key to any business success and an area in which Tom’s previous career in military and as head of personnel at Swire stands him in good stead. "Leadership and long term plans are essentials," we are told.
      Addressing E-commerce, the CX strategy is that yes, E-commerce is big, but so are many other sectors and Cathay adopts a wide spectrum approach.
      Finally, as Glyn and Tom put a cherry on this informative and interesting session, Tom's suggestion of how to attract young people to join this industry rang a bell:
      “We need to sell this industry as one having excitement and let our inclusive culture shine through.”
Geoffrey Arend