AfA names new CEO Steve Smith after 21 years

The Airforwarders Association (AfA) has appointed aviation and supply chain executive Steve Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Brandon Fried, who will remain with the association during a transition period. Smith brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across aviation, logistics and humanitarian response. He previously served as President and CEO of Airlink for 13 years, where he worked at the intersection of aviation and humanitarian logistics.

Before joining Airlink, Smith held a senior commercial position with Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, adding experience from the aviation manufacturing sector to his background in supply chain and humanitarian operations. His appointment comes as AfA continues to represent the interests of air freight forwarders and address issues affecting the air cargo and logistics industry.

Steve Smith, incoming Chief Executive Officer, Airforwarders Association, said, “The work of the AfA has rarely been more important, with shifting trade policy, geopolitical disruption, and aging infrastructure adding pressure on supply chains that are already stretched.” He has outlined greater predictability for air freight forwarders and continued investment in the infrastructure supporting global trade as key priorities following his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Airforwarders Association (AfA).

Smith succeeds Brandon Fried, who will remain with the association during a transition period. He is expected to work closely with the AfA team and its members while strengthening the association’s engagement with policymakers in Washington and across the wider air cargo industry.

Smith brings more than 25 years of experience spanning aviation, logistics and humanitarian response. He spent 13 years as President and CEO of Airlink, where he expanded the organisation from a one-person start-up into a nonprofit with nearly $20 million in revenue. During his tenure, Airlink worked with more than 50 airlines and logistics companies and 250 humanitarian organisations across 100 countries. The organisation responded to more than 200 disasters and crises and supported relief efforts benefiting more than 80 million people.

Smith also developed the operational framework and infrastructure connecting the aviation industry with humanitarian relief organisations, helping establish coordination mechanisms between airlines, logistics providers and aid groups during crisis response.

His experience includes leading responses to major global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ebola outbreak and the 2023 Türkiye earthquake. He has also served as a NATO spokesperson and subject matter expert on crisis response across the public and private sectors.

Fried, who has led the AfA for more than two decades, highlighted Smith’s aviation and logistics experience, understanding of air cargo and relationships across the industry as key strengths for his new role. Smith is expected to build on the association’s existing work while strengthening member engagement and its representation of the forwarding community.

Smith’s professional work has also received recognition through the Clinton Global Initiative and the Presidential Leadership Scholars programme, a joint leadership initiative involving the presidential centres of George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Lyndon B. Johnson.

He currently serves on the board of InterAction, the largest US alliance of international non-governmental organisations, is a Board Trustee of the Aero Club of Washington and sits on the advisory board of crisis-management company GoCrisis.

After leading the AfA for 21 years, Fried will support Smith through a transition period, enabling a gradual handover of responsibilities while the association continues its advocacy efforts. Both Fried and Smith will be available for interviews at The International Air Cargo Association’s Air Cargo Forum, taking place in Miami, United States, from October 26–29.