In this panel session, Marium Dahar moderated a discussion on how the logistics talent landscape is changing across MENA. As the region invests heavily in ports, airports, free zones, and multimodal infrastructure, the question is no longer whether logistics will grow — it is whether the workforce can scale fast enough to sustain that growth.

Both panelists described a clear shift: logistics is no longer treated as a support function. Since the disruption era accelerated by COVID-19 and ongoing route instability, logistics has moved closer to the core of business strategy, with senior leadership paying attention to freight, inventory risk, and service reliability in ways that were far less common a decade ago.

As automation expands and systems like WMS, TMS, and broader digital platforms become standard, logistics jobs are becoming more complex. The panel argued that high-performing talent now needs strong analytical decision-making, comfort with technology, and the ability to act quickly in multidimensional problem environments — especially when disruption compresses reaction time.

The panel highlighted that modern logistics teams must manage risk in real time: freight cost volatility, route disruptions, shelf-life constraints, and supply/demand imbalances. Those who interpret macro signals early and respond faster than competitors can create measurable advantage for the business.

The discussion covered diversity from several angles — not only gender, but also diversity of experience, industry exposure, and thought. Cross-industry hiring was positioned as a missed opportunity, particularly where organisations over-recruit from the same sector, limiting innovation and slowing capability transfer.

A key debate centred on whether the region is building talent through upskilling and nationalisation initiatives, or buying talent through relocation and imported expertise. The panel’s conclusion was pragmatic: near-term scale requires a blend, but long-term resilience depends on building local capability, strengthening leadership pipelines, and structurally prioritising diversity in hiring.

The panel closed on a cautiously optimistic view: the region’s strategic location and infrastructure investment create strong conditions for leadership in global logistics. The determining factor will be execution — developing talent at scale, accelerating digital readiness, and maintaining the pace of capability building as the sector grows.