National Chair’s Report Rachel Morley
2022, marked my first complete year as BIFA National Chair having been elected to succeed John Stubbings in May 2021. Once again, the contents of the 2022 Annual Report provide a clear illustration that BIFA continued to provide the UK’s freight forwarding and logistics sector with wide and effective representation and support throughout the year as that community continued to underpin the country’s international trading efforts. The interaction between BIFA’s Secretariat and Policy Groups; and stakeholder groups in government and elsewhere, on behalf of the membership, is covered in great depth within the pages of this Annual Report. The work undertaken by BIFA during 2022 to facilitate discussions on issues and policy, communicating and providing information at various levels, to deliver advice, guidance and support services that really help the membership, is also well documented here. In 2022, the impact of EU-Exit and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to have a significant impact on members’ work, and the actions taken by BIFA to help, receives comprehensive coverage.
In my contribution to the 2021 annual report, I wrote about some of the measures that BIFA had started to take in regards to environmental and sustainability issues within logistics. 2022 saw further discussions about the need to develop and strengthen an environmental portfolio for the trade association. It was agreed that an appointment of an expert on the subject would be a valuable addition to the Policy and Compliance Department within the Secretariat and budget approval was given for this. The year saw the addition of a carbon footprint measurement tool to BIFA’s website in recognition of the attention that this important subject is attracting, and we also commenced discussions with Pledge, an integrated carbon measurement and offsetting platform, to help members better understand and address the environmental issues that affect how they manage international supply chains. Those discussions led to BIFA agreeing to work with Pledge in a cooperation that sees the latter providing BIFA with some of the resources that will help to support members in their journey to having operations that are more environmentally sustainable. Those resources are designed to guide members on what to do to address the tasks at hand, rather than how to do it. They address what needs to be considered as the main environmental issues, and the challenges they pose; whilst providing guidance on the steps that members should take to launch an environmental policy or enhance an existing one.
As National Chair, I am delighted that BIFA continued to have a strong presence within FIATA, the freight industry’s global association, during 2022. BIFA continued to hold three senior FIATA posts: The MTI Chair, The Customs Institute Chair and the Secretary General post. We also had representation on Working Group Sea and the Advisory Body Legal Matters. This ongoing level of involvement helped BIFA to influence FIATA policy during 2022, hopefully for the benefit of BIFA members, as well as contribute to the transition that is taking place within FIATA’s own organisation.
To sign off, I encourage you to read the Director General’s report now and then gain a good understanding of how BIFA’s Secretariat, Policy Groups, Regional Committees and Representatives continued to provide excellent services and support to members, by reading the Year in Review section of the 2022 Annual Report.
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BIFA Annual Report & Accounts 2022 | bifa.org
bifa.org | BIFA Annual Report & Accounts 2022
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