Elisabeth Cosmatos didn’t just inherit a logistics company — she re-invented it.

In this episode of Project Cargo Professionals, recorded in Thessaloniki, Greece, we speak with the CEO of Cosmatos Group and President of The Heavy Lift Group (THLG). From juggling NATO calls in her first job to steering the business into project cargo and heavy lift, Elisabeth shares how language, adaptability, and persistence helped her take the company to the next level.

We discuss:

· Why speaking English landed her on the frontlines of military logistics

· How she built Cosmatos’ reputation in project cargo

· The cultural dynamics of leading in Greece

· How woman can succeed in a male-dominated industry like logistics

· What it takes to keep a global network like THLG thriving

This is a story about planning beyond the plan, getting on with the work, and trusting your voice.

00:58 Meet Elizabeth Cosmatos

01:39 Exploring Thessaloniki

03:35 Greek Cuisine and Culture

07:58 Thessaloniki Port and Its Importance

13:00 Challenges and Changes in Project Cargo

15:19 Greece's Economic Recovery

19:06 Family Business Dynamics

34:00 Gender Bias in the Industry

40:26 The Heavy Lift Group

For more content, visit Project Cargo Professionals.

🚢 Powered by Varamar 🚢

Varamar Shipping specializes in bulk, breakbulk, heavy-lift, and oversized shipments, and is a trusted carrier to and from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At Varamar, massive structures like wind turbines or entire factories are a day-to-day business and, as a semi-liner carrier, they can offer tailor-made solutions, calling wherever and whenever you need them to. With offices in 13 countries, including recent openings in Asia, they’re bridging the East-West gap. A multilingual team fluent in languages from English and German to Arabic and Chinese means communication is seamless.

With over 40 years in the freight business and two company exits under his belt, Bo Drewsen has seen the logistics industry from just about every angle — and he's not done yet.

In this episode of Project Cargo Professionals, Bo joins host Luke King for a candid conversation on what it takes to scale a project freight company, sell it successfully, and then start again — this time with a different mission. Now the founder of two freight forwarding networks, CLC Projects and Cross Ocean, Bo is connecting independent forwarders around the world while keeping a sharp eye on the state of the shipping industry.

From landing a 600 flat-rack deal against global giants to riding container ships as a passenger, Bo shares real lessons about trust, timing, and the personal toll this business can take.

🎙️ Topics Covered:

• Bo’s early days in Aarhus (and why he almost became a journalist)
• Founding Martin Bencher and winning big in China
• The post-exit pause — and what it taught him
• Why he built two global networks (and how they really work)
• The threat to independent forwarders from carriers and credit-heavy tenders
• Bo’s no-BS advice to anyone trying to build in freight

00:00 Introduction to Customer Service

00:10 Meet Bo Drewsen: Career Overview

01:01 Early Career and Martin Bencher Formation

04:23 Scaling Martin Bencher

06:25 Challenges and Successes

08:53 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

13:45 The Network Era

19:13 Reflections and Future Outlook

29:00 Closing Remarks

For more content, visit Project Cargo Professionals.

🚢 Powered by Varamar 🚢

Varamar Shipping specializes in bulk, breakbulk, heavy-lift, and oversized shipments, and is a trusted carrier to and from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At Varamar, massive structures like wind turbines or entire factories are a day-to-day business and, as a semi-liner carrier, they can offer tailor-made solutions, calling wherever and whenever you need them to. With offices in 13 countries, including recent openings in Asia, they’re bridging the East-West gap. A multilingual team fluent in languages from English and German to Arabic and Chinese means communication is seamless.

In this episode of Project Cargo Professionals, recorded in Basel, Switzerland, Luke King interviews Ruedi Reisdorf, owner of Fracht, to discuss the history of Fracht, industry consolidation, and Ruedi's views on company acquisitions and growth - without borrowing money.

He shares personal anecdotes, his strategy for maintaining a company's culture following acquisition, and his thoughts on the future of project freight forwarding. The episode also touches on Fracht's expansion into different markets, its involvement in the wind and oil industries, and the company's sponsorship of Inter Miami FC featuring Lionel Messi.

00:36 Meet Ruedi Reisdorf: The Man Behind Fracht

01:06 The History and Growth of Fracht

03:10 Navigating Family Business Dynamics

04:07 Expanding Beyond Switzerland

08:42 Strategic Acquisitions and Market Insights

12:21 The Importance of Company Culture

19:24 Investing in Future Technologies

23:39 Sponsoring Inter Miami FC and Messi

27:03 Future Plans for Fracht

36:10 Final Thoughts and Farewell

For more content, visit Project Cargo Professionals.

🚢 Powered by Varamar 🚢

Varamar Shipping specializes in bulk, breakbulk, heavy-lift, and oversized shipments, and is a trusted carrier to and from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At Varamar, massive structures like wind turbines or entire factories are a day-to-day business and, as a semi-liner carrier, they can offer tailor-made solutions, calling wherever and whenever you need them to. With offices in 13 countries, including recent openings in Asia, they’re bridging the East-West gap. A multilingual team fluent in languages from English and German to Arabic and Chinese means communication is seamless.

19 years in the military taught Kevin O'Sullivan discipline and structure, but he made the leap into construction and logistics and then went on to lead a management buyout of Mammoet’s southern Africa operation, now Tembo. In the first episode of Project Cargo Professionals, Kevin explains how he got started in heavy lift, how we bought a bit of Mammoet and why he’s never looked back.

For more content, visit Project Cargo Professionals.

🚢 Powered by Varamar 🚢

Varamar Shipping specializes in bulk, breakbulk, heavy-lift, and oversized shipments, and is a trusted carrier to and from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At Varamar, massive structures like wind turbines or entire factories are a day-to-day business and, as a semi-liner carrier, they can offer tailor-made solutions, calling wherever and whenever you need them to. With offices in 13 countries, including recent openings in Asia, they’re bridging the East-West gap. A multilingual team fluent in languages from English and German to Arabic and Chinese means communication is seamless.

Project Cargo Professionals takes you inside the heavy lift business to meet the characters who make the big stuff move. Discover the extraordinary stories of logistics leaders from all walks of life – and all corners of the earth – who’ve successfully navigated the highs and lows of project forwarding. Join us as we junk the jargon and hear real stories from real people as they share their personal and business philosophies, some of the secrets of their success and give advice for the next generation of project professionals.