Director, Global Forwarding | UAE
Harish Kumar is a logistics and supply chain executive with three decades of leadership experience across the Middle East and Africa, specialising in freight forwarding, 3PL, regional expansion and business transformation.
Executive Snapshot
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Decades
Leadership experience in logistics and supply chain.
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Operations
Businesses and operations launched from the ground up.
USD0M
Largest annual gross revenue target handled (2009).
+0%
Improvement in per-staff productivity through operational process improvements.
About — The Executive
“Every setback was a lesson I carried into the next role.”
I started without a roadmap or a network, just a willingness to learn that never stopped.
My career began in sales and accounts, where I made a point of understanding how the whole business ran. That curiosity led me into logistics and supply chain in Dubai, my home ground for three decades.
The path wasn't straight. More than once a company ran out of room for me to grow, and each time I took what I'd learned and built again. Those moments taught me more about leadership than any title did.
Building is my signature. I set up Agility's Dubai ocean freight and CFS unit from scratch, built a Middle East & Africa presence that became part of XPO, and established Seagull Global Logistics' regional footprint across Dubai and South, East and West Africa. As an independent consultant, I've guided e-commerce startups through their formation and advised investors entering the Middle East and Africa logistics market. Starting from nothing is where I'm most at home.
Today I lead the way I'd want to be led: clear direction, high standards and real investment in people. I believe results follow resilience. Having studied Leadership & Sustainability, I also believe this industry's future depends on growing responsibly.
Moments from a career built across Dubai, Africa and beyond.
Core Leadership Capabilities
Full regional and departmental P&L responsibility, reported to the board.
Regional strategic roadmaps and budgets designed and delivered.
Operations built from zero and businesses restructured for growth.
Dubai headquarters, Durban and Mombasa corridors, and agency networks.
Multi-branch forwarding and third-party logistics organisations.
Machinery, infrastructure and complex project cargo movements.
Relationships with multinational and strategic accounts.
Agency networks across the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
KPIs installed across departments; Six Sigma Green Belt.
Oversight of risk management and regulatory compliance.
Net-margin and EBIT targets met through disciplined yield control.
Regional performance reporting to the board.
Professional Experience
Executive Leadership
Earlier Career
Selected Projects & Business Impact
Industry Expertise & Regional Reach
Industries
Global reach
Building and leading logistics operations across international markets, with extensive experience spanning the Middle East and Africa.
Hover the globe, an industry or a region
Education, Development & Industry Voice
Certifications
The Institute of Logistics and Transport.
globallogisticsmedia.com
Supply chain and sustainability.
Contact
Open to meaningful conversations, professional connections and discussions around logistics, supply chain transformation, regional business development and industry opportunities.
Location
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone
+971 50 565 6082
