Ms. Chaitaly Mehta is a prominent third-generation customs broker and second-generation freight-forwarding professional who has built a distinctive leadership profile in India’s logistics and air-cargo industry. She serves as Director of EKF Global Logistics Pvt. Ltd., formerly known as Express Kargo Forwarders, a Mumbai-based logistics enterprise established in 1977. With more than 25 years of industry experience, she has been instrumental in shaping EKF’s strategic business engagements and expanding its capabilities across air cargo, project logistics and specialised freight solutions. Her career is particularly notable because she entered the sector at a time when women were still significantly underrepresented in frontline logistics and operations, and she has steadily established herself through expertise, execution and an ability to solve complex logistics challenges.
Widely recognised as the “Helicopter Lady of India,” Ms. Mehta is credited as the first woman to handle helicopter logistics in India from end to end, an achievement that reflects her willingness to take on highly specialised and operationally demanding assignments. Her professional strengths encompass air cargo, project logistics, customs brokerage, freight forwarding and complex cargo movements, with her problem-solving ability and keen observation described as defining attributes of her leadership style. Her own reflections on her career reveal a leadership journey shaped by resilience: entering the family business at the age of 20, overcoming scepticism associated with being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated sector, and earning credibility through performance rather than position. She has consistently advocated an action-oriented approach to leadership, arguing that in logistics, execution and results ultimately speak louder than words.
Beyond EKF, Ms. Mehta has become an active contributor to industry development and women’s participation in logistics. She serves as Chairperson of the Mumbai Regional Chapter of the Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI), where she contributes to strengthening dialogue and collaboration among airlines, airports, freight forwarders, customs brokers and other stakeholders in the air-cargo ecosystem. She was also the first woman office-bearer of the Western Region of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI), marking an important milestone for women’s representation in industry leadership.
Academically, Ms. Mehta holds a B.Com. in Travel and Tourism from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. Her professional journey combines family-business legacy with individual achievement, and her current industry engagement increasingly focuses on mentoring, women’s leadership, professional development and building a more inclusive logistics ecosystem. Through her leadership at EKF and her wider industry contributions, Ms. Mehta represents a generation of logistics leaders who are redefining the sector through specialised expertise, resilience, collaboration and a commitment to opening new pathways for women in global trade and supply chain
