LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT
Sanne Mander PRESIDENT , FLEXPORT
LEADING THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN LOGISTICS
When Sanne Mander co-pitched the idea of a digital freight forwarder over a decade ago , most people said the Internet had no role in logistics
Over ten years ago , two entrepreneurs went knocking on doors in Silicon Valley , looking for investors to fund their logistics start-up . Their pitch ? To make global logistics more efficient with software optimisation .
That pair were Ryan Petersen and Sanne Manders , and their idea was to become Flexport , one of the first ever solutions for digitising freight forwarding , in order to create more visibility and control for shippers .
Today , Flexport facilitates endto-end communication between shipping stakeholders , and allows cargo owners to track shipments in real time . It employs 2,800 employees across 89 countries .
Pre-Flexport , Petersen was an importer of Chinese motorbikes and was frustrated by the arcane logistics processes he faced .
Speaking to McKinsey , Flexport President Sanne Manders recalls that a typical response when they were seeking investment was that “ we don ’ t need the internet in this industry ”.
Back then , Manders was a logistics consultant , and was helping former Columbia Business School graduate Petersen .
But the pair succeeded in bankrolling their venture , and today the company is the sixth-largest digital freight forwarder in the transpacific region . In 2022 , the company earned $ 3.3 billion in revenues .
Manders says the secret for Flexport ’ s success is that the company is “ customer obsessed ”. Crucially , he points out , Flexport
14 October 2023