AIT Worldwide Logistics creates CDTO role, hires Justin Kosslyn.
AIT's newly created Chief Digital and Technology Officer role signals downstream hiring for data, AI, and digital operations talent across the company's global freight forwarding network over the next 12 to 18 months.
Confidence to Act: MEDIUM
AIT Worldwide Logistics has appointed Justin Kosslyn as its first-ever Chief Digital and Technology Officer, a newly created executive position reported by Air Cargo News on July 14, 2026. Kosslyn is charged with leading AIT's global technology strategy — accelerating adoption of next-generation digital platforms, data infrastructure, AI systems, and customer-facing tools — building on programs already in motion at the Illinois-headquartered forwarder.
The creation of a dedicated C-suite technology seat at a major global freight forwarder is a structural signal, not merely a personnel change. It indicates that AIT's leadership views digital capability as a competitive differentiator requiring dedicated executive ownership. For the air cargo and logistics workforce, this typically precedes a layered build-out: enterprise architects, data engineers, AI/ML specialists, and operations technology program managers tend to follow a CDTO hire within two to four quarters as the new executive assembles a team and secures budget authority.
For aviation professionals operating at the intersection of cargo operations and technology — logistics IT consultants, operations systems integrators, and digital transformation program managers with freight domain knowledge — this is an early-positioning moment. AIT's global footprint means the technology investment will have cross-regional implications, and professionals who can bridge air cargo operations knowledge with modern data and AI tooling are precisely the profile a newly empowered CDTO will recruit. The skills gap between traditional freight operations expertise and AI-enabled logistics platforms is widening industry-wide; AIT's move is one more data point confirming that gap commands a premium.
Recommended Actions
A&P / Technician
Watch AIT Worldwide Logistics for ground operations technology and cargo handling systems roles globally. Cert value: marginal for this event. Posting window: not applicable — this signal is management/technology-layer, not maintenance.
Engineer / Program
Monitor AIT's technology build-out for systems integration and data architecture program roles. Timeline: postings likely 2–4 quarters following CDTO onboarding. Skills to position: AI/ML pipeline experience, logistics ERP integration, and API-layer development within cargo management systems.
Consultant / Contractor
Kosslyn's mandate to accelerate AI and digital adoption creates demand for short-term consulting engagements in technology assessment, vendor selection, and change management. Window: 6–18 months post-appointment as strategy is scoped. Entry point: engage AIT's procurement or technology team directly, or position through freight-tech consulting networks where AIT is an active buyer.
Training Provider
Anticipate demand for AI literacy, data operations, and digital transformation upskilling programs within AIT's global workforce as the new CDTO drives adoption. Program move: develop or surface cargo-specific digital fluency curricula targeting operations supervisors and mid-level logistics managers within a 12-month window.
Capital / Finance
AIT's CDTO hire signals planned technology capital expenditure — likely software licensing, platform build, and systems integration spend — consistent with a mid-market freight forwarder accelerating digital capability. Portfolio implication: vendors and SaaS providers in freight-tech and AI logistics should treat this as a qualified sales signal. Cascade to workforce: technology hiring follows executive onboarding by 2–4 quarters.
Source: https://www.aircargonews.net/people/2026/07/forwarder-ait-appoints-chief-digital-and-tech-officer/