Steve Parker’s Column
Lionesses roar
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266 (A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 00391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Steve Parker s.parker@bifa.org Member Policy & Compliance Director Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Member Support Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Member Services Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Member Engagement Director Denise Hill d.hill@bifa.org International Relations Manager Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Communications Manager Natalie Pitts bifacomms@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors Steve Parker, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Igor Popovics, Brooke Neilson, Nezda Leigh, Robert Keen, Denise Hill Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editor to ensure that the item in question still reflects the current circumstances. Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.
W hat a period for women’s sport! Having just caught the last overs of the Women’s Ashes’ cracking fi nish and great win, I am now looking forward watching a brilliant fi nal of the Women’s Football World Cup in August. I should at this point offer my apologies to the rest of Britain and Northern Ireland, this is an England team (these are not my rules). Anyway, my point is, what a transformation we are seeing for women’s sport and not only in this country, but around the world. A transformation that is being mirrored in the freight industry. For our industry, having attended a number of Young Forwarder Network events, I have been encouraged to see an ever-larger representation of females. The confidence and enthusiasm that they express when joining
the discussions and activities is inspiring, engaging with the guest speakers and asking great questions. A drive to support their personal development through knowledge and learning that suggests to me we are heading in the right direction. In general, for young people irrespective of gender, BIFA continues to push and support apprenticeships, the Freight Development Pathway and of course training. In late June, we welcomed the news of additional government funding for the Generation Logistics initiative. All of the above is positive for the future and at BIFA we will continue to support young people’s engagement within the freight and logistics community. Representation Before I get too carried away with all this positivity, I must bring us back to an important topic. An immense amount of our time at BIFA is being spent on Customs Representation. This is particularly crucial when you are acting as an Indirect Representative. In past editions of BIFAlink , Robert Windsor has written several articles related to this topic, giving some robust advice and guidance. I obviously will not share details but suffice to say we have heard from several sources about a growing number of actions being taken by HMRC against BIFA Members, in particular, relating to valuation issues surrounding Chinese imports into the UK cleared on a DDP basis. Please ensure you follow due diligence on your customers and do all you can to verify that they are established in the UK. Business Leaders Forum Lastly for this edition – could I ask business leaders to put 19 October 2023 in their diaries. I am currently working on the agenda for the second Business Leaders Forum event and invitations will be sent out soon. I know how busy you are and how important your time is, so let me reassure you that I intend to make this event as informative and worthwhile as possible.
Director General
August 2023 | 3
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