Modern logistics is more than the movement of goods. It is an interconnected system of ports, shipping, warehousing, commercial operations, risk management and supply chains that businesses depend on every day.
Ayman Barqawi has built his career across many of these interconnected areas.
Today, as Chief Executive Officer of Tamer Logistics, Barqawi brings more than two decades of experience spanning finance, internal controls, risk, container logistics, commercial management and executive leadership. His progression reflects a career shaped not by one narrow specialisation, but by an increasingly broad understanding of how logistics businesses operate.
From Controls and Risk to Logistics
Barqawi’s early career developed through finance, controls and management roles before moving into the logistics sector.
A significant transition came when he joined APM Terminals in Aqaba, Jordan, serving as Internal Audit and Risk Manager. The position gave him exposure to risk management and internal controls within a major international terminal environment.
That foundation would prove relevant as his responsibilities expanded from oversight towards direct operational and commercial leadership.
Strong logistics leadership depends on understanding both how operations create value and where the risks to that value emerge.
Growing Through the Red Sea Gateway Terminal
Barqawi’s career took another significant step at Red Sea Gateway Terminal, where he spent nearly eight years and progressed through several leadership positions.
He began as Head of Treasury before moving into container services, becoming Head of Container Service Department and later Director of the Container Logistics Division.
His responsibilities continued to expand when he became Director of Container Logistics & Corporate Services Divisions, followed by his appointment as Commercial Director.
The progression is significant because it exposed him to different dimensions of the logistics business, from financial management and container operations to corporate services and commercial strategy.
Rather than developing solely within one function, Barqawi accumulated experience across the systems that need to work together for logistics organisations to perform effectively.
Expanding Into Executive Leadership
In 2016, Barqawi moved to LogiPoint, part of the Saudi Trade and Export Development Company, as Executive Director.
The position marked a broader executive phase of his career and further strengthened his experience within Saudi Arabia’s logistics ecosystem.
In 2020, he joined Tamer Logistics as Managing Director, before becoming Chief Executive Officer in September 2021.
The transition to CEO brought together the different disciplines developed throughout his career, including operations, commercial management, risk and organisational leadership.
Executive leadership becomes more effective when decisions are informed by experience across the wider value chain rather than a single function.
Leading in an Increasingly Connected Logistics Environment
Logistics organisations operate within networks where the performance of one component can influence the entire supply chain.
Ports, transportation, warehousing, inventory, customers and technology all need to operate with a high degree of coordination. This makes operational discipline particularly important, but it also places greater emphasis on adaptability and strategic decision-making.
Barqawi’s career across terminal operations, container logistics and commercial leadership provides him with experience across several parts of that environment.
His professional development has continued alongside this progression. He has undertaken leadership and management programmes through A.P. Moller-Maersk and Harvard Business School, and completed Leading Digital Transformation at IMD in 2023.
The latter is particularly relevant as technology continues to reshape how logistics businesses manage information, operations and customer expectations.
From Operational Expertise to Enterprise Perspective
One of the clearest themes across Barqawi’s career is the widening scope of his responsibilities.
His journey has moved from controls and risk into treasury, container services, logistics operations, commercial leadership and ultimately CEO responsibility.
Each stage has provided a different view of how organisations create and protect value.
Risk management encourages discipline. Operations demands execution. Commercial leadership requires an understanding of customers and markets. The CEO role requires those perspectives to be considered together.
The complexity of logistics demands leaders who can connect operational detail with commercial priorities and long-term direction.
Recognition by The Arab Leaders
Ayman Barqawi’s professional journey reflects the development of an executive whose understanding of logistics has been built across multiple functions and organisations.
From his experience in Jordan with APM Terminals to leadership roles at Red Sea Gateway Terminal and LogiPoint, and now as CEO of Tamer Logistics, his career has progressively moved closer to the centre of enterprise decision-making.
For The Arab Leaders, his story reflects the importance of experienced logistics leadership within a region where supply chains, trade and infrastructure continue to play a significant role in economic development.
His progression also demonstrates the value of breadth in executive leadership: understanding risk, operations and commercial realities individually, while developing the ability to connect them as part of a larger organisational system.
