[SINGAPORE] Catering and ground handling company Sats on Tuesday (May 6) announced the appointment of Sandeep Sakharkar as chief digital officer, a newly created role.
The appointment, which took effect on Mar 17, sees Sakharkar leading the development and execution of Sats’ digital strategy, focusing on integrating advanced data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and operational improvements across the company’s global operations.
The announcement comes after Timothy Tang’s designation as group chief financial officer on Apr 24, as part of Sats’ leadership renewal process.
Sakharkar became chief digital officer at a time the company is advancing to the next stage of its digital transformation, following its acquisition of global air cargo logistics provider Worldwide Flight Services (WFS).
Sats completed the 1.3 billion euro (S$1.9 billion) acquisition in April 2023, which helped the Singapore company expand its global operations. Last month, WFS opened a US$270 million cargo terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States.
Sats is looking to set new industry standards and create smarter, more agile service solutions. It emphasised that its focus will be on “leveraging technology to enhance transparency, optimise supply chain performance, and elevate the end-to-end customer experience”.
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Sakharkar brings to the role more than 25 years of experience in technology-driven transformation, most recently as global chief information officer at GXO Logistics. He has also held senior positions at Johnson & Johnson and Footlocker.
In addition, he is the founder of Datanoetic, an early-stage data, AI and process automation startup, where he remains non-executive chairman.
“Together with our talented global teams, we will scale digital capabilities, harness the power of modern digital, data and AI capabilities, and ensure our customers receive the highest levels of reliability, speed and service,” Sakharkar said.
Shares of Sats closed S$0.01 or 0.4 per cent lower at S$2.89 on Tuesday, before the news.
