Steve Parker’s Column
The football season has started E ven as a football fan, as I sit down to write this in August, I can’t believe the new season is under way. It seems to get earlier and earlier. I sort of support two teams. My granddad took me to Chelsea as a youngster, and that remains my first love. But for many years, because it was closer to home, I had a season ticket at Reading. At the time of preparing this, Reading had played three league games and lost all of them – it could be a long season! I like the concept that the season ends and then we all start again. My many years in the corporate world taught me that even if you had a good financial year, at the start of the next one it was all back to zero and off we went again. Both the team at BIFA and I are constantly working to see what it is we can do to help our Members navigate through their own business years and to prepare for the next. We want our Members to be successful. Rule changes To do that I would urge you to watch for rule changes! Unlike football, where rule changes tend to come at the start of the season, new rules within international trade and business can be implemented at any time. We will share them in the most part through BIFA TV and I encourage you to subscribe to the BIFA TV YouTube channel to ensure that you do not miss any updates. On the subject of BIFA TV, I have just had the latest viewing figures and am pleased to see the numbers watching and the length of time they do so is increasing. We don’t have a transfer window either, people move within our industry all the time, and we do our best to ensure that learning assets are in place to assist you in keeping all staff fully trained and possessing the highest skills possible. The BIFA Bitesize eLearning modules, just one of your membership benefits, are seeing good numbers of people completing the various courses. Business Leaders Forum Does your team have a manager, a head coach, or a director of football? The BIFA Business Leaders Forum, on 1 October in central London, is designed for those personnel who fall into the management category. At the Business Leaders Forum they will learn about issues affecting the industry, new developments on the horizon, and of course network with other leaders. And, if you fancy winning BIFA’s equivalent of the Premier League or FA Cup, make sure you enter this year’s BIFA Freight Service Awards. Unlike the Premier League, there is plenty of evidence from the past 37 years to suggest you don’t have to be one of the big players to stand a chance in any of the categories. But, as the old saying goes, you have to be in it to win it. So, get working on your entries now. It is our hope that if you engage with all the above, you are less likely to end the game with PENALTIES!
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 Mike Jones m.jones@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Sustainable Logistics Jamie McKean j.mckean@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, Mike Jones, 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.
Director General
September 2025 | 3
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