Flexport Appoints Dr. Phil Levy as its First Chief Economist

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Flexport, the freight forwarder for modern logistics teams, announced that Dr. Phil Levy will join its ranks as the company's first Chief Economist. Dr. Levy brings over two decades of academic and policy experience to Flexport. Most recently, he served as a Senior Fellow on the Global Economy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where he authored the book Rebuilding a Bipartisan Consensus on Trade Policy.

At Flexport, Dr. Levy will lead a research team that identifies trends in global trade and how they impact the supply chain. The team will produce original research using policy expertise and Flexport data, one of the best, non-public data sets on global trade. Dr. Levy will also advise Flexport teams on policy developments and actionable responses to global trade trends, enabling the company to better plan, move and finance freight for its clients.

"Reliable data and research can inform stakeholders about the economic impact of global events such as US-China trade tensions and Brexit, empowering companies to anticipate economic changes instead of reacting to them," said Dr. Levy. "As a technology-first freight forwarder, Flexport has access to one of the most comprehensive private data sets on global trade. I look forward to providing analyses that will help all stakeholders in global trade better understand how their supply chains impact the world economy and vice versa."

"To make global trade easier for everyone, data informs everything we do at Flexport, from the guidance we give our clients to the products we build," said Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport. "Bringing an economist of Phil's caliber on board at Flexport is momentous. Phil and his team will make everyone smarter: they will help our clients make better-informed decisions and fuel the next phase of Flexport's growth as a data-driven freight forwarder."

Dr. Phil Levy bio
Starting June 17th, 2019, Dr. Phil Levy will lead qualitative and quantitative economic research at Flexport informed by public policy data and proprietary data. Dr. Levy will use his research to inform the market on global trade trends and help Flexport teams make product and business strategy decisions to best serve clients. Dr. Levy comes to Flexport with over two decades of experience researching and forming global trade policy. Prior to joining Flexport, Dr. Levy served as Senior Fellow on the Global Economy at Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Adjunct Professor of Strategy at Northwestern Kellogg. Previously, Dr. Levy served on the President's Council of Economic Advisors as Senior Economist for Trade and as a member of the policy planning staff for the U.S. Department of State. He has testified before numerous congressional committees and has written regularly for Forbes, The Hill, and Foreign Policy. He has also taught global economic policy and international trade at Georgetown, Columbia, the University of Virginia, and Yale. Phil holds a Ph.D in Economics from Stanford University.

About Flexport
Flexport is the modern freight forwarder. Through its Operating System for Global Trade, Flexport delivers a combination of advanced technology, physical logistics infrastructure, and human expertise, providing fast and predictable transit times, visibility and control, and lower supply chain costs to logistics and supply chain professionals across the globe. First to market with a purpose-built cloud software and data analytics platform, Flexport today connects almost 10,000 clients and suppliers across 109 countries, including established global brands as well as emerging innovators. Flexport offers a full range of services, including ocean, air, truck and rail freight, drayage and cartage, warehousing, customs and trade advisory, financing, and insurance.

SOURCE Flexport