Elsie Qian on Being a Woman in Logistics and the Customer Obsession
Ready for some inspiration? At Let’s Talk Supply Chain, we know the power in promoting the female trailblazers who are making bold moves to push our industry forward. Every month we’re proud to highlight woman leaders who are fiercely changing the face of supply chain. We introduce you to the thought leaders you need to know, sharing their stories, their achievements, and what they want you to hear about breaking through the supply chain in our Women In Supply Chain™ Series.
And this month, we’re proud to bring you Elsie Qian, chief executive officer for Americas at Apex Logistics International Inc.
Elsie has more than two decades of experience in logistics and operations and is fluent in English, Chinese, and supply chain.
Tell us how you ascended to CEO, Americas for one of the largest global freight forwarders:
I started working in supply chain at an international trading company in China. That was the first time I learned the important role the chain plays in international trade and what customers need from a logistics company—their deepest pain points and challenges. After a couple of years, I joined a world-leading freight forwarder.
I started from the bottom and served in different positions—from operations to customer service, to customs clearance and then gateway management. Working my way up in different areas I built a comprehensive understanding of the industry while gaining some serious professional savvy along the way.
Later on, I had an opportunity to support Apex China in expanding their network into the United States. In 2003, we launched the first US-based station in Los Angeles.
Apex Americas started as a small team of just two employees, myself included. Over the past 18 years, working with my team we’ve leveraged our unique strengths between Asia and the United States. We’re maintaining steady growth in our global network, product, infrastructure, customer portfolio, and team building.
I’m proud that today Apex has proven itself as one of the top freight forwarders anywhere in the world.
About the Author
Naomi Garnice is the Director of Marketing for MicroAge where she leads the marketing team and creative strategy. Naomi has been a content marketer for 14 years and is passionate about creating engaging content that matters. Throughout her career in marketing for technology, healthcare and supply chain organizations, Naomi has advocated to highlight female thought leaders in male-dominated industries.
