An expanded role to strengthen trade between the UK and India
UPS has appointed Ufku Akaltan as the president for its business in the UK, Ireland, Nordics and India. In this role, Ufku Akaltan leads the operations and growth strategies across the expanded district, deploying the company’s global smart logistics network to strengthen the UK to India trade lane.
Ufku began his career at UPS in 2002 as an intern. He worked his way up within the Europe region where he held multiple roles of increasing responsibility, including country manager for UPS Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, president for UPS East Europe, and most recently president of growth and emerging markets, Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa.
Ufku Akaltan, President of UPS UK, Ireland, Nordics and India, said “I am honoured to lead UPS in a crucial European market during such an important time for our business. We are strategically investing in our capabilities to expand our offering to our customers, from opening smart sortation facilities, to innovating in the last mile to foster growth and reduce our carbon output.
Our global network is uniquely positioned to support the UK to India trade lane with our dedicated teams and strategic initiatives, we are not just delivering packages, we are shaping the future of logistics.”
UPS has recently made several significant investments in its capabilities within the UK, Ireland, Nordics and India district. In the UK, it has opened a new sortation and delivery centre in Telford earlier this year with a £2.5 million investment. In addition, the company announced a multi-year global partnership with Liverpool FC, as well as a pilot initiative with Aurrigo, exploring the prospect of deploying autonomous electric cargo vehicles at its air hub at East Midlands Airport.
In India, UPS is rapidly expanding to boost local businesses’ international and domestic growth. Its trade capacity doubled with the opening of a second airport gateway in Bengaluru, and a $20 million investment in a smart technology centre in Chennai to enable continued innovative advancement. MOVIN Express, addressing India’s domestic logistics, expanded to 49 cities within its first year. The recent launch of UPS Premier provides advanced healthcare technology services, allowing greater control and visibility in customer supply chains.
Ufku holds an MBA from Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management and the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Management Engineering Degree from Istanbul Technical University. Ufku has also completed further education programmes at Harvard Business School and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
