Steve Parker’s Column
How we can help Ukraine
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 & External Affairs Director Pawel Jarza p.jarza@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 Senior Policy Advisor – Ocean & Legal matters Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Sustainable Logistics Jamie McKean j.mckean@bifa.org Head of Digital Communications & Events Dawn White d.white@bifa.org Communications Manager Natalie Pitts n.pitts@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors Steve Parker, Robert Windsor, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Igor Popovics, Denise Hill, Pawel Jarza, Natalie Pitts Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editorial co- ordinator 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.
F ollowing a busy month for BIFA, you may be surprised that I start my February DG Column talking about Ukraine. But, as you know, we have been working with the Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine to see if we can help them, particularly with enhancing the skills of their members. As part of this partnership, last month I had a call from their office in Odessa. Immediately they joined the call, I just knew this was going to be unlike any other. They joined on TEAMS from a mobile and were sitting a few storeys up in an office block, with a large window in the background. The reason being was of course that they had no electricity, the offices were in darkness as was the entire city of Odessa, which was experiencing some of the worst weather in decades, being -30°C.
I asked about life and family and of course wished them well, but all that made any discussion about work or any of the issues we had to deal with seem insignificant. That said, I sensed some resilience and there are some ways we can help I have three CVs – two from operational and mature freight experts and one from a legal expert in forwarding and Ukrainian law, all based in the UK and looking for work. If anyone has any opportunity, please let me know. We also spoke about students taking a maritime and forwarding degree with the University of Odessa, but almost all are studying remotely and some in the UK are seeking opportunities. Awards Of course, I cannot forget the 37th BIFA Freight Service Awards ceremony – it was another great day for our industry and whether you are finalists or winners, it is a fantastic way to celebrate. Our host Steve Backshall, TV presenter, author and conservationist, did an excellent job presenting awards and entertaining the guests, and the event raised £4,500 for the Transaid charity. Can I ask you to put next year’s ceremony date (Thursday 21 January 2027) in your diary, and if you have submitted an entry for an award before then please do so again. If you have not previously submitted an entry, why not make 2026 the year to change that. House of Commons During January the BIFA board members attended the House of Commons. We had dinner with several MPs and representation from the House of Lords, discussing our industry and thoughts on the future, in particular the need to create a UK Border that is fit for 21st century international trade. Our messages were well received and I hope will help in raising the profile of BIFA Members. Training Can I just point you to what’s coming with our eLearning? New courses are on their way; just watch BIFA TV to see what we have in store. Remember that BIFA Bitesize is part of your membership fee and available at no cost at the point of use to all your employees. BIFA TV As you know this is my favourite subject! We are constantly striving to improve the output, always looking to make it more engaging and interesting. To help us do this, I am pleased to say that Dawn White joined us in January as Head of Digital Communications and Events. Dawn comes directly from ITN and is already helping us produce each episode of BIFA TV.
Director General
February 2026 | 3
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