BIFA Awards
Aiming for the summit
Young Freight Forwarder Award
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA’s Young Freight Forwarder Award
Mitchell Ward-Broad fi eld completed a freight apprenticeship and worked as a sea freight import operator at Europa Worldwide before joining Röhlig UK, where his achievements got him to the fi nals of BIFA Young Freight Forwarder
so much variety and the industry gives you the ability to keep learning. I’ve been in freight for six years and not scratched the surface so it’s exciting; I like to stay on my toes.” Looking ahead, travel is de fi nitely on the cards. “I want to see what life is like elsewhere. And there are 40 countries in the Röhlig network,” Mitchell pointed out, adding: “My long-term vision is to become a country manager and, one day, a regional CEO.” • Mitchell is the BIFA Young Forwarder Network ambassador for the Midlands and enjoys going to the gym, hiking and playing football. 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.
“A t 17, on my fi rst day as a freight forwarding apprentice, I could never have imagined that I would be leading national accreditation projects across three branches of a global logistics company at just 21- 22 years old,” Mitchell Ward-Broad fi eld noted. That project involved delivering ISO 9001, ISO 14001, GDP, JOSCAR and AEO certi fi cations for Röhlig UK, plus delivering training. Coming from a less-than- prosperous background, Mitchell appreciates the importance of hard work, resilience and making the most of every opportunity. “Those values have driven me throughout my career so far – turning challenges into motivation, and giving me the determination to continually push myself to grow, learn and achieve,” he said. Mitchell is now a customer solutions specialist. He said: “There’s
“ I want to see what life is like elsewhere. And there are 40 countries in the Röhlig network
Always on the go, Mitchell enjoys hiking. Here, he climbs Snowdon
Putting a best foot forward BIFA Apprentice of the Year fi nalist Joseph Duffy has been pushing himself outside his comfort zone – and he is not the only one reaping the bene fi ts
Apprentice of the Year Award
World Insurance is a world-leading provider
“I came into the industry knowing nothing, and put my best foot forward,” Joseph continued. “I had a lot of trust from my manager, and I was allowed to just leap straight into things! And people in this industry go a long way to help each other,” he acknowledged. Joseph completed his apprenticeship in April and intends to undertake a higher apprentices at Metro Global and beyond,” he said. “I see myself in many of them and aim to be someone they can turn to for guidance and encouragement.” apprenticeship (Level 5) next. “I also want to support other of insurance services for the logistics industry. By sharing knowledge and fostering innovation, it nurtures the next generation of logistics leaders and safeguards all. As the designated in-house risk management advisor for all WCAworld networks, it is committed to helping advance the future of global logistics.
As part of his goal to develop greater independence and
confidence, Joseph Duffy has attended all BIFA Young Forwarder Network events in his region and online, expanding his knowledge of freight forwarding. Attending trade shows like Multimodal also enables him to engage with other businesses in person. Joseph has gained confidence by taking the initiative in complex shipments and problem solving, too. For instance, when a backhoe load-all unit faced a hydraulic oil leak during transit, he found an engineer who could service the unit onboard during its short port call at Antwerp.
“Despite time zone and language barriers, I coordinated between the engineer and port authorities to secure access to the quay and vessel [and] the unit was repaired without delay or additional charges,” he said.
June 2026 | 21
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