Nadia Everix started as managing director of groupage specialist ECU Worldwide Belgium in Antwerp on 1 October 2024. “Antwerp is one of ECU Worldwide’s main hubs. It is important that we remain visible,” she says.
ECU Worldwide operates under Allcargo Belgium SA, a subsidiary of India’s Allcargo Logistics headquartered in Mumbai. ECU Worldwide originated in Antwerp in 1987 and specialises in multimodal transport. The group has grown into one of the world’s largest cargo handlers in the LCL (Less-than-Container-Load) market. Besides LCL, ECU also provides FCL and air freight services and offers warehousing facilities. ECU Worldwide is present in 180 countries with more than 300 offices and employs over 4,500 people worldwide.
‘Good vibes’
As ECU Worldwide Belgium’s new managing director, Nadia Everix’s main focus will be on improving performance and driving the strategic growth of the business in Belgium. “My aim is not only to deliver strong results, but also to bring a new wind to the office,” she says. “Above all, I want to create a pleasant workplace and atmosphere for my colleagues,” she stresses. “Groupage can be quite heavy and stressful work. In a container, we combine cargo for sometimes as many as 15 to 20 customers, all with their specific requirements. There is also a lot of administration involved. Being stress-resistant is therefore essential.”
Operational matters
Everix started her career at ECU Worldwide in 2007, holding various operational and commercial positions. She took over the torch from Ivan Lardenoit, who joined ECU Worldwide as Regional Leader of Procurement and Special Projects. He headed the Antwerp office for more than a decade. In her previous position, Everix served as Global Head Compliance and Operations.“My background is in operational matters,” she says. “I travelled a lot for our major clients, mainly freight forwarders. Customer contact, excellent customer service and networking are very important. From Antwerp, I led the ECU tariff teams in Singapore, Mumbai and Mexico in addition to the local team. This gave me a good idea of what other offices are like and how people do operational work there.”
People
She also likes to be surrounded by people. “I think it’s important to be close to people, then you know what’s going on,” she says. “I live in Temse and whenever I can I enjoy jumping into our warehouse in Kallo (which is owned by Van Moer Logistics ed.).”
“I have a hands-on mentality,” she continues. “If I were starting my career all over again, today I would probably be riding around on a forklift loading partial shipments into containers. However, when I was younger, there were no women working ‘on the dock’.”
The LCL sector is a small world. Everyone knows everyone
Antwerp is one of ECU’s main hubs. “ECU Worldwide Belgium handles large volumes for both imports and exports. It is therefore important for us to remain visible. The LCL sector is a small world. Everyone knows everyone,” she says. “From my international role as Global Head Compliance and Operations, I got the impression that the Antwerp office was a bit too much in the background. Now that I’m back working at the local level, I want to put Antwerp even more on the map. It has always been my dream to be able to lead Antwerp. I am happy to have been given this opportunity and I am sure I can bring about positive changes.”
Eighteen years old
Everix took the TSO trade course and took her first steps in the maritime sector at the age of eighteen with the former Canadian container shipping company Cast. “I knew the incoterms very well and was allowed to process bookings as my first job. I worked at Cast for over eight years and learnt a lot. Afterwards, I went to work in the groupage department of Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) where I learnt the tricks of the trade. Together with my colleagues, we grew Antwerp into one of K+N’s main hubs across Europe.”
She now has more than 30 years of experience in LCL freight transport. “I am passionate about everything to do with the port and I have always felt very comfortable in the shipping sector. I don’t see myself making a career switch right away,” she says. “I have been given many opportunities at ECU and I am grateful to have been given the confidence to take on this new challenge.”
Nadia Everix reports to Marc Stoffelen, head of Global Accounts & Cluster Head Belgium, Netherlands and Spain. She will remain based in Antwerp.
