ATA Freight has promoted former COO Matt Goker to CEO. The announcement was made by ATA Freight’s founder and former CEO C.J. Oguzhan, who will continue in his role as chairman of the board.
Under his leadership as COO, ATA Freight spun off Quloi, of which he currently serves as CEO, which provides quantified logistics solutions leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep logistics expertise designed to transform and optimize the global supply chain.
“Matt will be the CEO of ATA Freight Group, which includes all ATA Freight Companies in six countries including ATA Freight Customs Clearance and ATA Impex in all countries,” Oguzhan said. “As I have enjoyed working with Matt over the years, I am certain you will all enjoy working under his supervision. He is a great example for all of you and someone who started out as a salesperson and advanced step by step now becoming our CEO. What has helped him to grow as much is very simple—trustworthiness, loyalty, and hard work. Matt will report directly to me as I will continue being the Chairman of the Board of ATA Freight Group.”
According to ATA Freight, Goker has been recognized for his environmental advocacy and support of initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. He was a strong proponent and supporter of Trees for the Future (TREES), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty by training farmers to regenerate their land which ATA Freight has been supporting since 2011. Through its support of TREES, ATA Freight is helping 700 people move out of hunger and poverty and toward a more independent, healthy, and sustainable quality of life. Goker’s sustainability leadership also helped ATA Freight earn the 2020 EcoVadis Bronze Medal Sustainability Leadership Award.
“During my tenure, I have served our company as assistant sales manager, director of sales and marketing in U.S., regional manager of USEC, managing director of U.S. and India, and most currently as COO since 2016,” Goker said. “As our business continues to demand more, I continue to learn, currently at Columbia University, pursuing a Master of Science (MS) degree in Technology Management. I am extremely honored to accept the role of CEO following in the footsteps of C.J., a strong and formidable leader who has taken ATA Freight to its high level of standards, service quality, and recognition as an innovative and resourceful global logistics and freight forwarding enterprise.”
In addition to his sustainability efforts, Goker has been a strong advocate for industry collaboration, supply chain digitization, and sustainability. This year, in recognition of his industry leadership, Goker was named by Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine as a 2021 Pros to Know for which the magazine acknowledged him to be among “outstanding executives whose accomplishments offer a roadmap for other leaders looking to leverage supply chain competitive advantage.”
In addition to his current higher education pursuit of an MS in technology management from Columbia University, Goker holds an MBA in international business from the University of Tampa’s John H. Skykes College of Business, and a bachelor's degree in economics from Boğaziçi University.
