BIFA Awards
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Young Freight Forwarder of the Year finalist Ronan Kitchin has always loved learning new things, and has certainly made the most of opportunities to do so since joining Aramex Dedicated to development
YOUNG FREIGHT FORWARDER OF THE YEAR AWARD SPONSOR
people who could be fantastic fall by the wayside if they are not given the correct support or shown the right pathway. You have to empower them, put the tools in their hands.” Ronan has always worked his way up from the bottom into a leadership role, whether on the rugby pitch – where he has captained and coached – or in the workplace, where he is dedicated to the development of his team. “There is no benefit in holding information to yourself,” Ronan considered. “The more my team learns, the more time is freed up for me to learn more – and there is no way to progress without a succession plan.” Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA’s ‘Young Freight Forwarder Award’ 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 our industry.
Ronan Kitchin came to Aramex three-and-a-half years ago after a chance meeting with one of the company’s human resources staff, and is now air freight imports
manager at Heathrow – an operation he has been running single-handedly for several months. “This job is hugely varied and constantly changing, so there is always more to learn. I will probably stay in logistics for the rest of my working life,” he said. So far, Ronan has studied aviation security, pharmaceuticals (GDP), Incoterms, leadership skills and more. When he spoke to BIFAlink , he was looking forward to starting BIFA’s CDS course and was working through Aramex’s Lean
Six Sigma programme. Noting the value of good training alongside an appetite to learn, he pointed out: “So many
Embracing challenges Apprentice of the Year finalist Josh Boswell had his first taste of
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despite several months’ furlough, indicates just how far this young forwarder can go in an industry beset with unexpected challenges. He also achieved a Distinction in BIFA’s BTEC Award in Customs Export & Import Procedures. Plus, he scored 95% in IATA’s Dangerous Goods course. Next up is IATA’s Good Distribution Practices course. At the time of writing, Josh was handling Geodis’ general pharmaceutical air freight operations in Manchester by himself. “Especially with pharma, there is a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I do not shy away from it; I love it,” he said. leading provider of innovative training, education and recruitment. Established in 2009, Seetec Outsource has delivered thousands of successful programmes to a range of small and large organisations nationwide and helped many people into employment. Seetec Outsource provides apprenticeships and traineeships on a range of subjects at various levels.
Looking back, said Josh Boswell: “I found it interesting to see what kinds of things were moved – from expensive watches to exotic fish – so a little later on I found another logistics apprenticeship, and I have never looked back.” In his current role at Geodis, Josh’s focus is on air freight, particularly pharmaceuticals. He highlighted the movement of urgent medical supplies to Poland on behalf of NGOs as both age gap to the next- youngest employee resulted in his return to college – but he never lost his appetite for freight working in logistics at just 16. Back then, the 40-year
challenging and deeply satisfying. He said: “Pharma was quite baffling at first, until I got my head around it. Learning on the job is the best way. It is mind-blowing, especially in air freight where things have to happen so fast.” The fact that Josh completed his end-point assessment early, and achieved a Distinction
July 2022
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