BIFA Awards
Charlie kicks off career with ambitious goals
Young Freight Forwarder Award
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA’s Young
are able to pick up any task, and in this regard the ef fi ciency that digital tools can offer is very helpful. Responsibility Charlie is ambitious, and relishes responsibility. “I enjoy it when things go wrong as well as when they go right; I like to improve things. The higher up you are, the more you can make positive change,” he said. Of course, this is just the beginning for Charlie, and his guiding principle is to “keep going up”. For instance: “I did a management course at NNR before I was promoted to road freight supervisor. I’m still young so I want to keep getting experience in this role and I have some very good managers to learn from. “Our department is currently 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 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.
Like many others, Charlie Grif fi ths fell into his career in freight and quickly came to fall for it. He was highly commended in BIFA’s Young Freight Forwarder of the Year category, and looks set for a very bright future
“D ay to day, logistics is very interesting,” said Charlie Grif fi ths. “There are many aspects that continue to excite me – problem solving, building customer relationships and process improvement to name a few. “I like to provide solutions and logistics is an industry where things tend to go wrong! It’s nice to see people’s response when we solve things.” Charlie joined NNR Global Logistics between the fi rst COVID-19 lockdown and Brexit – a time that presented many challenges. “I enjoyed being part of a team who worked on providing solutions; processes were changing rapidly and I had to evolve rapidly with them,” he said. Digitalisation The impact of digitalisation in this context cannot be overstated. Charlie pointed out: “We’re a fairly small, relatively new team so it’s nice to fi nd ways to increase our ef fi ciency and improve. We’re trying
to use digital tools more and more with our customers.” One example is the use of NNR’s bespoke online smartsheet-based booking application, which provides live updates and can be accessed by multiple users at the same time. Documents such as proof of delivery, Customs entries and invoices can be attached, and the system saves time while ensuring consistency. Charlie also noted that in a small team it is essential that all members
Charlie participates in annual charity football matches hosted by Queen's Park Rangers, which NNR sponsors
under the air imports manager, but as it grows we could have our own manager; by then I hope to have the necessary experience to apply for that role.” A BIFA Member may nominate an attendee although there will be a limit on numbers once a quorum is achieved. Please email s.parker@bifa.org NOTE: Any Member entitled to vote at the above meeting may appoint a proxy to vote on a poll in his stead. A proxy need not be a Member of the Association. A form of proxy is available to download from the BIFA website – www.bifa.org
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the 36th Annual General Meeting of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) will be held at 2 pm on Thursday 15 May 2025 at Warwick Conferences, Coventry, in order to: 1. Receive the report of the Board of Directors. 2. Receive the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 and the report of the auditors thereon.
3. Appoint auditors and authorise the Board to fix their remuneration. 4. In accordance with the Association’s Articles, to note and approve the election of officers of the Association. 5. Transact any other business which may properly be transacted at an Annual General Meeting. Steve Parker Director General 31 March 2025
20 | May 2025
www.bifa.org
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