BIFA Awards
Driving freight into the future
BIFA Young Freight Forwarder of the Year Finalist Georgia Gibson is especially passionate about two aspects of logistics: sustainability and bringing young people into the industry
Young Freight Forwarder Award
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA’s Young Freight Forwarder Award
G eorgia Gibson’s passion for sustainability in logistics is seeing signi fi cant progress. “Everyone is thinking about it,” she said. “It’s become more important in our day-to-day work at cargo- partner and we also produce reports to assist our customers with their sustainability. Despite the cost, a lot more people are taking action.” As for new blood in freight, Georgia noted that COVID-19 raised the industry’s pro fi le and it is seen as “much more glamorous” nowadays. “People are realising how successful you can be in this industry,” she said. “They’re realising that you’re not pigeon-holed; you see the whole supply chain. There’s so much you can do with a freight apprenticeship or degree. A lot more young people – men and women – are joining.” So, while logistics has been an
industry to a successful future.” Georgia is currently business development manager and trade lane manager UK – Asia. Her goal is to take on global key accounts. “I’ll still work in the spot market, but I want to be a more strategic salesperson and build long-term relationships,” she said. “The Far East is still a focus for me, and so are fashion accounts.” to recognise and encourage the next generation of industry leaders. As well as rewarding the progress of the best young people, this award helps to highlight the vital role freight forwarders play in the growth and development of the industry. VAC recognises the importance of developing and retaining talented young people and is confident this award will help to attract more recruits that want to build a future career in a sector that is so important to the economy and international trade.
“ People are realising how successful you can be in this
ageing industry, “there’s de fi nitely not a drought now”, Georgia continued. “BIFA and Seetec are the drivers, but it’s up to people like me and the Young Forwarder Network to go into schools and drive the
industry – Georgia Gibson
Intrigued by logistics
A PP R ENTI C E OF THE YE AR A W AR D
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Leah Griggs, a fi nalist in BIFA’s 2024 Apprentice of the Year Award , fi nds great satisfaction in the never-ending learning curve that is a career in logistics and in her dedication to customer service
knowledge of freight. She said: “This is a very interesting industry – you don’t just get trained and that’s it. Learning intrigues me and in logistics there are so many facets of the job to learn. “My future ambitions include advancing my career in freight forwarding by becoming an operations manager and eventually specialising in supply chain optimisation.” thinking. We understand your business via our in-depth sector knowledge and use a consultancy-led approach to challenge your objectives and guide your business growth. Each of our clients experiences our Brighter Thinking approach, the difference we make to our clients. With our in depth transport and logistics sector experience we promise to add real value across key areas of our clients’ businesses – to go further than just balancing the books.
Leah Griggs observed that freight is a 24- hour industry; shipments move 24/7 and unpredictability is always a potential factor in the smooth running of any supply chain. “For instance, if there is a problem when a truck is stopped for inspection late at night and our office only opens the next morning, we can end up incurring demurrage charges,” she explained. “Having someone always on call keeps our trailers moving at Laser Transport International. It’s part of the job.” And Leah is more than happy to take her turn when her manager is away so that any out-of-hours problems can be solved.
She is clearly committed to her work and frequently takes the initiative to ensure customer satisfaction,
whether by coordinating with the logistics team to resolve a last-minute shipment issue, visiting a warehouse in person, or proposing alternative strategies to reduce transit times and costs. Leah is keen to keep developing her
16 | August 2025
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