But, instead of looking back in the past, I prefer to face towards the future.  For sure the next 12-months will bring new challenges again, whether in your professional or personal acquaintances.  But this new era will also bring new opportunities for you to work and help on sustainability and taking responsibility.  I was attending a panel discussion about this hot topic at an international conference earlier this year.  Several speakers from around the globe were explaining what initiatives they took within their organization and although many great ideas were brought forward, I was still very surprised to learn that many of them forgot about the immense smaller initiatives that can help us towards more sustainability.  Smaller solutions, within our day to day lives – whether private or professional - that do not necessarily need a big financial effort, but which can contribute to saving our planet.  What about you?  Have you thought about these small little things that can help?  And did you take the effort to put those ideas into effect? 

Sustainability, together with innovation and digitalization will also be an important topic at ATA’s 2020 Conference in Abu Dhabi (1-4 March).  Usually the animal shipping industry is not the most innovative sector in the world of transportation, but it looks like we now have also entered ‘the modern era’, finally!  There are plenty of innovative ideas, merged with the latest technologies, that might change the way we ship animals in the new decade. Ideas and solutions which are available now or in the very near future.  If you want to be part of this, make sure you do join us in Abu Dhabi and register on ATA’s recently renewed website.

Finally, on behalf of all of us from the ATA Board of Directors, we wish you and your beloved ones a warm, prosperous, peaceful and sustainable 2020.

Your president,

Filip Vande Cappelle