Fly Pharma Vienna 2024: A Wake-up Call for Pharma and Cargo

Happy to join this event again to meet new and old friends. Great to network in the breaks and networking events! Moderated by the brilliant Celine Crahay, it kicked off with an inspiring welcome by Prof. Dr. Günther Ofner, CEO of Vienna Airport. The event quickly shifted gears with a powerful wake-up call from Frank van Gelder, Secretary General of Pharma.aero. His strong message—“Too big is not big enough” and “Now is too late”—thrust attendees into the harsh realities facing our planet and industries. But Frank also offered a glimmer of hope, sharing insights on how to approach these challenges from a brighter perspective.

 The event continued with thought-provoking sessions, including a standout presentation by Vatsala Sadasivan, Sanofi’s Operational Excellence Lead for R&D. Discussions covered the role of blockchain, software and data vaults in air container logistics, followed by Bernhard Zoidl’s interactive workshop on the urgent necessity of risk assessment in the real world.

As the day concluded, talks on Specialty Courier Logistics and Sustainability in the Cold Chain wrapped up the presentations. Celine Crahay summarized the key takeaways before leading the group to a pharma storage facility for hands-on learning. The day culminates in networking and a gala dinner at Palais Ferstl in downtown Vienna—an ideal close to a transformative day.