Gautam MandalIndependent Consultant

ABOUT GAUTAM MANDAL

Industry knowledge.
Practical change.

I bring cargo domain knowledge and project leadership to the decisions that connect business and technology.

My 25+ years of industry experience span air cargo and logistics, digital distribution, enterprise systems and customer adoption.

25+years of industry
experience
Gautam Mandal in a navy jacket, leaning on a plinth
Gautam Mandal · Independent Consultant

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

A connection between
business and technology.

My background includes leadership roles at Cargo Flash and leading Octoloop as CEO. The work has involved product conception, business models, route to market, enterprise implementation, airline acquisition and customer onboarding.

I led the product vision and launch work for Octoloop’s digital cargo distribution model, and the nGen implementation for Garuda Indonesia during my time at Cargo Flash.

My wider project experience includes Pelita Air, Philippine Airlines, Lion Air, Kenya Airways, TCI Express for door-to-door logistics, and Nova Portugal.

This experience was gained through roles at the relevant organisations.

Explore selected work

Across the cargo ecosystem

Airlines, GSAs and GSSAs, cargo terminal operators and logistics companies.

A wider platform perspective

Cargo reservations, warehouse management, e-commerce, ULD management, dashboards and API integration.

QUALIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Experience with
a learning mindset.

Learning connects research, industry and practiceResearch informs the questions, industry experience provides context, and practice brings learning into delivery. Lessons from practice feed back into research.ResearchIndustryPracticeKEEP LEARNING. KEEP IMPROVING.
Research informs the questions. Industry experience gives them context. Delivery puts learning into practice.
  • PhD research scholarSuresh Gyan Vihar University · Research focused on sustainable air cargo
  • MBA in Information Technology
  • Postgraduate diploma in Travel and Tourism, with an air cargo specialisation
  • IATA Advanced Cargo certification
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner
  • Scrum Master
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Industry contributions include speaking, panels and knowledge sharing on digital cargo and operational change.

RESEARCH & INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES

Looking beyond
the next release.

Published papers exploring how air cargo is changing—and what that means for the people making decisions.

From digital booking and customer adoption to the shift from ocean to air during disruption, these papers connect industry research with practical questions about cargo operations.

Follow the links below to view each paper on SSRN.

Gautam Mandal · August 2025

The New Playbook for Air Cargo Distribution

From Phone Calls to Platforms: How E-Booking is Reshaping Air Cargo

Examines digital booking, airline portals, marketplaces and the changing role of GSSAs, with practical implications for customer adoption.

Read the paper on SSRN (opens in a new tab)

Gautam Mandal and Trilok Jain · August 2025

From Suez to Sky

Measuring the Ocean-Air Switch in 2024: A case-study for airlines — capacity, pricing, and early-warning triggers

Examines the shift from ocean to air cargo during disruption, connecting industry research with capacity and pricing decisions.

Read the paper on SSRN (opens in a new tab)

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Keep the details
to hand.

The consulting brochure gives you a concise overview of my services, experience and ways of working.

Download consulting brochurePDF

WORKING TOGETHER

Let’s work out
your next step.

A focused assignment or support across the programme.
Remote, onsite and hybrid engagements.

Let’s discuss your challenge