Mondiale VGL celebrates expansion with new appointment
Leading sea freight forwarder Mondiale VGL is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the successful merger of Mondiale Freight Services and VISA Global Logistics – a move that secured a placing in the world’s top 30 freight forwarding services and supported the strategic acquisition of Customs Agency Services (CAS) in South Australia.
The celebration is marked by the appointment of Justine Smyth as Independent Director and Chair to support the company’s next phase of growth in the global freight forwarding sector.
Mondiale VGL CEO Ray Meade says it has been a significant two years for the business, with the merger, the acquisition of CAS and further strategic investments in China, Spain, Germany and India.
Mondiale VGL has transitioned into a global entity and now the rapidly growing freight forwarding company employs more than 1500 staff across 39 offices in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the USA, supported by 1000 agency offices worldwide.
“We are seeing clear evidence of the advantages that the merger and acquisition of CAS have delivered through increased international trade lane access, enhanced technology and the achievement of the growth milestones we mapped at the outset,” Meade says.
“Our goal was to build a global supply chain operation with its roots in the Asia Pacific region and we are firmly on the path to achieving that with our strategic position across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and America.
“Growth by acquisition is an important part of our strategy to build scale in our business and the merger positioned us well to take this forward.
“Our December 2021 acquisition of CAS enabled us to consolidate Mondiale VGL’s national footprint in Australia while building further scale in the Australasian market.”
Meade says coming together as a combined entity has allowed Mondiale VGL to provide increased commercial value to customers during a challenging period for the industry, following COVID-19 and continued supply chain constraints.
“While the sector faces ongoing pressure, our united volumes, long term relationships with carriers and suppliers and a combined 40 years of industry knowledge have enabled us to solve complex supply chain issues and innovate at pace,” Meade says.
“A key factor of our success has been the way our people have come together and embraced the merger. We’re thrilled to watch them grow their careers within a global organisation and have made several senior appointments to support our expansion ambitions.
“Having Justine Smyth join Mondiale VGL to chair our Board is another important step forward for our business.”
Smyth’s appointment to the Mondiale VGL Board of Directors supports the firm’s strategic commitment to leveraging its increased capabilities, cementing long-term customer partnerships and expanding its global reach.
She brings extensive commercial and governance experience to Mondiale VGL and is currently the Chair of Spark NZ and Chair of The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. She was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to governance and women in 2020.
On joining the Board of Directors, Smyth notes the opportunities that the merger has created for the business.
“Mondiale VGL has built Oceania’s leading freight forwarder by bringing together two highly experienced industry leaders in the supply chain and logistics sector. This has established solid strategic and financial foundations, with current and expected market dynamics creating further opportunity to scale,” Smyth says.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Mondiale VGL team at such an exciting time in their expansion journey.”
This article originally appeared on Australasian Transport News.