Dear friends, colleagues, counterparts and other connections:

I am very happy to share with you that I have been appointed Chief of UNCTAD’s Trade Logistics Branch as of 1 December.

The Trade Logistics Branch (TLB) supports the logistics of developing countries’ international trade, including trade facilitation and transport.

One way to look at our work are the possible policy objectives in trade logistics. These usually include a) trade efficiency e.g. through trade facilitation or transport connectivity, b) generating investment, income and employment through the provision of shipping and other trade logistics services, and c) ensuring sustainability and the efficient internalization of externalities. An attempt to present possible synergies or trade-offs between these policy objectives can be found in the introduction here.

I love these topics not only because I am a fan of ships, containers and trade efficiency, but also because I am convinced that they are of growing importance for the development of nations. TLB is very lucky to count on great professional teams working on our Trade Facilitation Programme; the Review of Maritime Transport, country profiles and shipping indices and statistics; several international freight transport projects; international transit; our quarterly Transport and Trade Facilitation Newsletter; and more. To subscribe and read our quarterly updates please click here.

Heartfelt thanks go to those who have recruited and placed trust in me over the last 30 years, starting with my father Kapitän Wulf Hoffmann who gave me a job as sailor, Prof. Georg Hasenkamp at the University of Hamburg, Ignacio Vergara at IMO, Larry Burkhalter at ECLAC, Gary Crook and Peter Faust bringing me to UNCTAD in 2003, Maxence Orthlieb who got me into trade facilitation, and now Secretary Genaral Kituyi and DTL Director Shamika Sirimanne. Extra thanks go to my family who have endured a nomadic life and extensive travels of the husband and father; as a side effect, my three sons are currently living in Manila, Querétaro and Leicester. Final special thanks go to Dan Ariely for his interview tips.

With best wishes from Geneva. Jan.Hoffmann@UNCTAD.org

(The usual disclaimers apply; opinions are personal)