Sara Gerdner Kalle

Sara Gerdner Kalle grew up on a small Swedish island with fewer than 100 people. From an early age, she was drawn to the world beyond her immediate surroundings. At 13, she traveled alone to England to study English. Soon after, she worked at McDonald’s to fund a high-school exchange year in the United States. These early experiences set a clear pattern: Sara was comfortable stepping into new environments and backing herself early.

​

After completing her senior year in South Carolina, Sara enrolled at university in Hawaii. She initially studied Travel Industry Management, then switched to International Business and added Finance for practical grounding. She completed a four-year degree in three years, working alongside her studies and eager to move forward rather than linger.

​

Returning to Sweden, Sara felt restless. She took on a commission-based sales role selling advertising space—an intense, target-driven environment that sharpened her resilience and commercial instincts. It also clarified what she wanted next: a truly international platform with scale.

​

That opportunity came through the Maersk International Shipping Education (MISE) program, one of the most global management trainee programs in the industry. Sara joined with little prior logistics knowledge, trusting she could learn by doing. The program rotated her across functions and countries, exposing her to finance, import/export, and frontline logistics roles in Scandinavia.

​

Her career accelerated when she was posted to Guangzhou, China, near the end of the SARS period. Operating in a high-pressure, ambiguous environment, she thrived. She worked closely with shipyards, government stakeholders, and local teams, often managing situations she had never encountered before. Soon after, in her mid-20s, she became office manager in Zhuhai, leading a small team with limited structure. It was leadership learned the hard way—fast, imperfect, and formative.

​

Returning to Europe, Sara moved into commercial leadership as a Global Key Account Manager, managing complex multinational customers such as H&M and Tetra Pak. The role required strategic thinking, relationship management, and internal alignment across regions. It was also where she learned a defining lesson: delivering results is not enough if the impact is invisible. Contribution must be communicated to be recognized.

​

That insight influenced her move to H&M in Hong Kong, where she gained experience on the customer side of the supply chain. While the role broadened her perspective, it also clarified her preference for roles closer to value creation—where commercial strategy, execution, and leadership intersect.

​

A family move brought Sara to Singapore, where she joined DB Schenker in a sales leadership role with APAC and broader regional responsibilities. There, she built and scaled commercial verticals, formalized previously informal sales processes, and led high-performing sales teams across markets. A recurring capability became clear: Sara excels at building structure from ambiguity and driving growth through disciplined commercial leadership.

​

Her next chapter was Singapore Post (SingPost). Initially brought in to strengthen regional and global commercial capabilities, she later became Chief Commercial Officer. Over four years, Sara led large teams across APAC and beyond, professionalized sales processes, introduced structured customer segmentation, and invested heavily in training and people development. The role was demanding and highly visible, marking a significant step in her senior executive journey.

​

After SingPost, Sara returned to Maersk in an APAC eCommerce logistics leadership role, focusing on digitally enabled solutions and regional go-to-market strategies. The position deepened her exposure to technology-driven logistics and reinforced her interest in scalable, product-led commercial models.

​

After nearly 20 years in Asia, spanning China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, Sara made a deliberate decision to return to the Nordics. In 2024, she relocated to Denmark for family reasons, marking a personal and professional homecoming after two decades abroad. She took on the role of Chief Commercial Officer, Europe at Svitzer, a global maritime towage company, where she now leads commercial strategy across European markets.

​

Today, Sara continues to operate at the senior executive level in the logistics and supply chain industry. With nearly 20 years of experience in Asia and deep exposure across carriers, forwarders, brands, and eCommerce platforms, she remains focused on building commercially strong, people-centered organizations. Her career reflects a pattern of continuous growth—seeking roles that stretch her leadership, sharpen her commercial judgment, and allow her to develop teams capable of performing at their best in complex, global environments.