Harm Meierdirks dies aged 56
Harm Meierdirks, Chairman of the Overseas Shippers Association (OSA) and Director of Carl Hartman, has died, aged just 56. He had been diagnosed with two inoperable brain tumours in March last year and, despite several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, he passed away on 30 December, 2023. He leaves behind his wife Janine and two sons Jakob and Jannis.
OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International) has announced the first of its 2024 conference speakers: the economist, author, journalist, documentary-maker and broadcaster David McWilliams. He is Adjunct Professor of Global Economics at the School of Business Trinity College Dublin. and is ranked 10th most influential economist in the world. Consistently accurate in his forecasts, David McWilliams was the only economist in Ireland who accurately forecast a strong UK Brexit vote, the Trump victory and the 2008 global crash.
Aires in the USA has been given the award for the Most Innovative Use of Technology in Global Mobility – Assignee Management by the Forum for Expatriate Management at the EMEA Expatriate Management & Mobility Awards (EMMAs).
Gosselin in Belgium has announced that it will be providing guaranteed monthly groupage services to selected destinations including, initially: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, USA, UAE and India. The company says that more destinations will be added in future. While the issues relating to transit times and departure dates with groupage shipments are well known, Gosselin guarantees monthly departures to these destinations.
The Suddath Companies announced recently that its supply chain management division, Suddath Global Logistics, has rebranded to NXTPoint Logistics. The company provides a complete suite of services, including warehousing, distribution and fulfillment; freight and transportation management; FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment); and final mile/home delivery services.
Gosselin has unveiled what it claims to be ‘the world’s most eco-friendly moving box’. The box is called Notabrownbox. It’s an unbranded moving box made from high-quality recycled cardboard that can be reused up to four times. The aim is to encourage moving companies to use these unbranded boxes to help make the moving process more sustainable. It is a not-for-profit initiative.
JK Moving Services, in the USA has earned the 2024 Military Friendly Employer designation for its commitment to hiring and supporting members of the military. Institutions earning the Military Friendly Employer designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 companies participated in the 2024 Military Friendly survey.
Freeline Movers, established in Pakistan for 35 years and a member of IAM, FIDI and OMNI, has opened a new fully-functioning branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new branch will be managed by Ifraheem Awan who has 20 years of experience working with Freeline in Pakistan and Kabul, Afghanistan.
Aires has announced the promotions of Ryan Goulet and Alisha Crose to Regional Operations Managers in Aires’ Central Regional Office. Ryan and Alisha will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and oversight of mobility specialists and other operational team members, ensuring customer service and service delivery standards are maintained.
Aires has announced the appointment of Zach Ho to the position of account executive in its Singapore office to support the APAC region. In this role he will be responsible for growing and developing Aires’ regional client base and fostering long-term relationships, working to find solutions that meet client needs through collaboration, partnership, and understanding their culture.