Logistics Stories

As Operations Manager with the Expo & Event team at Kuehne+Nagel, Julian is a specialist in the “end to end” logistics of live events. Covering events such as concerts, the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, the FIFA World Cup, and Motorsport World Championships, he gets to travel the world delivering logistics to people of all nationalities and backgrounds.

“I like the detail, the trying to prepare for the unexpected, and finding solutions. Nothing beats the buzz of being on-site during the build up to a major sporting event and then when the lights go out, the match starts, or the curtain goes up that massive sense of achievement before having to do it all again!”

Having started in logistics straight from Sixth Form as a Trainee Airfreight Export Clerk, Julian recently found himself sitting in the jump seat on the flight deck of a Boeing 747 freighter landing in Melbourne, Australia loaded with F1 cars and equipment. Quite an experience! From his humble beginnings, he gained experience and qualifications on the job, always on the lookout for ways to grow, develop and further himself within the industry.

He spotted his current role on social media, and reached out to a manager at Kuehne+Nagel to start building a relationship. Having spent 25 years with his last employer, Julian felt it was time for a change of scenery and some new experiences.

Without the fantastic, supportive team he works with, and a great selection of clients, Julian wouldn’t get the same satisfaction from the work he does.

“We are such a diverse team and everyone brings something to the table, and everyone is listened to. A simple “thank you” from a client for a job well done is always a highlight.”

Before starting at Kuehne+Nagel, Holly knew very little about the logistics industry, and has really enjoyed learning whilst on the job.

“It’s an exciting industry to work in, particularly with the rise of e-commerce, and it’s a stable industry too.”

Now, as Reward & Benefit Lead, Holly is responsible for developing, designing and implementing the Reward Strategy across KNUK, as well as coordinating the existing reward cycles and benefit offerings for everyone at KNUK.

“In the logistics industry, we aim to offer market leading benefits. Some of the topics that I manage include our wellbeing strategy, our gender pay gap, bonus, annual salary reviews and private medical insurance.”

Holly completed a graduate scheme in logistics straight from university, which helped her gain the HR knowledge needed to excel in her role. Holly also gained her CIPD Level 5 qualification during her time as a graduate and, after completing the scheme, spent some time as an HR Business Partner, before building her management experience as HR Service Centre Manager.

She’d never considered the area of rewards and benefits before, but when an opportunity came up, she decided to take the leap. The role centres around some of her favourite parts of her work in general HR, making positive change to her colleagues’ lives and supporting their wellbeing. Now, she manages a small team of two Reward Specialists, too.

The autonomy to drive change within the organisation is one of Holly’s job highlights, and one of her proudest achievements so far has been introducing a colleague forum with the Kuehne+Nagel management board, giving colleagues a voice on topics that matter to them.

“Thanks to the colleague forum we have introduced volunteering days, enhanced our life assurance policy, and implemented a hybrid working approach.”

For Tom, logistics was once a side hustle – but now it’s a career!

“I used to work as a part time Sports Therapist for a professional football team. For additional income I joined my current company as a Warehouse Operative. After 12 months as an Operative, I joined the Graduate Scheme in Jan 2021 as an internal applicant and have now accepted a permanent position as a Shift Manager- on the same contract that I was initially an Operative!”

His knowledge of the industry stretched little further than warehousing, and it certainly wasn’t a sector he considered a future career prospect.

“Realising what opportunities existed within the sector changed my mind. These included working with cutting-edge technology, accelerated career progression and not being fixed to a location.”

He might have left the physio room and the football pitch behind, but Tom has picked up valuable skills along the way – all of which helped kick off his logistics career.

“I had confidence in leadership through my time in sports teams through school and university, as well as critical thinking from my degree – a skill that is transferable to this industry.”

These days, Tom is based at a Regional Distribution Centre for a major UK grocery retailer. He puts those leadership skills to work heading up a shift warehouse team of around 360 colleagues, giving them all the backing and tools they need to keep the supply chain running.

Darren first enrolled because he was looking for opportunities to progress. The apprenticeship programme allowed him to learn the skills needed to achieve that.

“Having the opportunity to learn the basics, from the ground up, was really valuable to me. My complete lack of experience was irrelevant, and I was taught everything that I needed to know straight from the start.”

He quickly realised that he got real satisfaction from the skills that he learned, especially knowing that the level of driving he was doing would be beyond a regular driver, and the progression he sought followed quickly.

“My apprenticeship has given me the steppingstone to enter the role that I’m in now, as a Transport Shift Manager.”

Darren’s advice for people considering a similar path is to not be daunted by the size of the trucks:

“Just take the jump and it will definitely be worth it. The confidence developed through my apprenticeship has helped me now – and having that HGV licence is something I can take with me throughout life.”

As Distribution Centre Manager, Emma’s role is vast and varied. Responsible for delivering safe, efficient and successful operations for key on-site customers, she also manages significant changes as they happen within the business, while leading and developing the Wincanton contract team, and developing growth in new areas of her customer’s business.

“My role requires me to be a leader, with an ability to engage with stakeholders and successfully implement and manage change. I work in partnership with the customer to build an established and talented contract team.”

Emma has gained many qualifications while working within the logistics industry, all of which she believes are fundamental in her success in carrying out her role, and have provided her with the foundation she needs to do the job to the best of her ability.

Starting as a Purchase Ledger Clerk, Emma went on to have successful spells in clerical roles within the transport team, before deciding to take a financial focus. Since 2016 she has developed her skills in people management and networking, attending master classes in Industrial relations, and carrying out grievance meetings, investigations and conciliation meetings to increase her skills in these areas.

After multiple secondments to support other depots, and an Ops Manager development programme, Emma’s desire to attain the DCM position full time was realised. She believes that her progress is down to her commitment, a positive outlook, calmness on the job and a determination to go further than anyone else.

Working with people to help them develop is one of her favourite parts of her job, and something she gets great satisfaction and fulfilment from.

“To support my move into an operational role, I developed my Accounts Clerk to fill the role of Finance Manager, which not only supported my journey but also encouraged her to look at her own development pathway.”

Emma strives to act as a role model within the industry, making herself available to others and always leading by example.

Erin’s job as the Customer Experience Manager at Cubo is to ensure that experience is a positive one, so they feel valued, respected and understood. This helps Cubo build strong customer relationships and loyalty.  Erin is responsible for leading a team of people who are the first line of contact for our customers and ensures the team is trained and equipped to handle any type of issue that may arise.

The job didn’t require any specific qualifications. Cubo were looking for someone who could communicate well, a skilled problem solver who is customer centric in their thinking and empathetic, but also strategic and collaborative so they can work with all teams.  A data driven individual was also important so we could track and analyse customer feedback.

Erin was attracted to the CEM position because she is passionate about ensuring that customers have a positive experience with Cubo and has a strong track record of success in customer support, and was eager to take on a more strategic role in developing and implementing customer-centric initiatives. Erin’s skills and experience made her a strong candidate for this position.

Erin’s career highlight was becoming Customer Experience Manager after two years, despite having no previous experience or knowledge of the industry. “This showed me that my hard work and dedication were paying off, and that I was capable of achieving my goals, no matter how challenging they may seem.”

Logistics is a fast-paced and ever-changing industry, and that’s what  she loves about it! In her previous role as a Supervisor in the retail industry, Erin found the work to be repetitive and boring. But in logistics, there’s always something new to learn and new challenges to solve.

Erin believes the best thing about her role is that she is constantly learning and growing, every day is different in logistics, and that there are always new challenges to solve. Erin also gets to work with a team of talented and passionate people, which makes it even more fun.

Account Management is all about being a focus for customers, and Dominika’s role operates as the main point of contact for those she manages. That means customer well being and satisfaction is her responsibility, requiring a broad array of skills from communication to problem solving.

“I provide quotes, find solutions, keep in touch with clients, manage orders and provide the best customer service I can. I also schedule regular meetings to review and assess future opportunities.”

Dominika found out about her initial role with Kuehne + Nagel from her college tutor, progressing to Internal Account Manager from a Sales Apprenticeship and Customer Service Specialist role.

“What attracted me to the role was the opportunity to further develop my knowledge and skill set. It’s my first Account Manager role, so I was keen to embrace the challenge – especially building on my experience in the logistics industry.”

The best thing about Dominika’s role, she suggests, is that unpredictability – the new challenges she faces every day. There’s no time for boredom or stagnation. And those challenges result in a fulfilling career.

“I’m really proud of being a respected team member and employee, who can be trusted and is thought of highly by colleagues. I’ve received some great feedback from my management team and customers, which is very rewarding.”

Aline is working on the sales department within Maersk. We are a very large sales organisation with many different roles. As a customer success manager, she is responsible to ensuring the team of CSPs (Customer Success Partners) are working hard to support the salesperson when closing deals with customers and growing our book of business. As part of her job, Aline participates in many customer calls, work on many different tenders, and get involved in different customers. Her role required an A Level or BTEC equivalent qualification.

Aline’s found this new role through the Maersk internal job site. She was attracted to this role because it involved managing people while at the same time continuing with her sales career. She still wanted to be involved with customers daily while expanding her managerial skills and knowledge.

“It’s amazing when you see the impact of your role in a customer win. When a new business is closed and you see the financial impact to your organisation, it’s great to know that you had an impact on that. It’s very rewarding! It’s also amazing to know that what you do impacts people’s lives on a global basis. When you’re walking around in a supermarket for example, it’s nice to know that you had something to do with bringing those goods to the shelves.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was at a standstill, Aline felt very proud to work for a company that helped keep the world moving. We supported in various projects and ensured that the supply of goods continued. It was a great highlight to her!

Mark notes emotional intelligence, empathy and energy as key skills in his work in Sea Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel. He looks after a team of 35, providing them with the right support, leadership, and resources required to provide operational excellence, and best-in-class temperature controlled sea freight solutions.

Working his way up from an intern position in 2015, Mark has been able to work in a variety of positions for Kuehne+Nagel, starting in the UK, and moving to Paris in France, and then Bremen in Germany. From there, he secured the role of Manager for the Central America and Caribbean Region in Costa Rica, before moving to Panama, and in 2021 he was offered the job as Sea Logistics Reefer and Healthcare Director, reporting to the Head of FR Sea Freight.

Mark says that, more than any qualification, his skill in “getting comfortable with the uncomfortable” has really bolstered his success:

“This is our daily logistics life! Solving issues for our customers, adapting to constraints in order to help people.”

Mark believes his team have been central to his rise to Reefer Sea Freight Manager at such a young age. He really values their trust and support. Working with what he considers to be the best, most dedicated and passionate people is what makes his job so enjoyable.

Diana is delivering fuel across southeast England, and sometimes further away. It’s highly skilled job where you have to focus and stay calm. We get trained how to load and discharge fuel tanker.
Diana’s job involve induction in different fuel terminals what mean she can load in any nearest depot and you don’t have to run an empty truck.

Diana is based at the Hemel Hempstead terminal but she has also completed induction training to be able to enter and load her vehicle with fuel at other terminals in the South East, so if she has done a delivery on the other side of London, instead of wasting time driving back to Hemel with to get another load to deliver, she could be asked to re-load at a different, closer terminal to get more deliveries competed within her shift

You need a driving licence in Class 1 (articulated vehicle) or Class 2 (rigid vehicle) and CPC. To drive fuel tankers, you need another qualification as ADR in class 3 – flammable, PDP

Since Diana was young, she was in transport industry, and she always wanted to drive. Diana came to UK to fulfil her dream and she has done all her driving licences.

“I used to drive around the Heathrow airport where I saw plenty fuel tankers driving around…. And I just told myself that one day I will be driving tankers too.”

Diana always wanted to do some very important job, and delivering fuel is very important because without fuel everything would become standstill. The best thing about her role is that Hoyer gave her the opportunity to fulfil her dream of doing a very important job. She has never felt happier in workplace.

Paul began his career in logistics over 30 years ago, helping to configure and improve Warehouse Management Systems. After getting to grips with optimising efficiencies, processes, layouts and storage capacities, he wanted to broaden his knowledge.

A role as a Warehouse Operative proved to be a good fit, and he worked his way up, steadily gaining the experience and knowledge needed to secure a role in senior management, which saw him managing large 3PL operations for over 20 years.

But a specialism was calling, and in a new role as WMS and Operations & Lean Specialist, Paul embraced new skills in project management, continuous improvement and lean organisation management, working closely with teams to improve efficiency in all areas of operation, all while maintaining the highest level of customer service for his clients and their customers.

Paul now works with Kinaxia in the world of automation, managing a fully automated fulfilment centre. Throughout his varied and ever developing career in logistics, he still loves the challenge that comes with striving for operational improvement.

Working collaboratively with colleagues and clients to understand their business needs and develop strategies for their futures, he supports them to achieve their goals through his expertise.

“Helping businesses to build and sustain partnerships with clients whilst maintaining high levels of service has always given me so much satisfaction.”

Debbie is responsible for the Human Resources, Learning & Development, Marketing and Recruitment functions across the Kinaxia Logistics Group.

A qualification in Human Resources Management, normally through the CIPD, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is required for her role.

Debbie has had a varied career that started in childcare moving to becoming an Air Stewardess and then into Human Resources. This transition occurred when a role became available whilst she was working at the airline for a trainee HR Administrator.

“I had never thought about Human Resources as a career before however the role really interested me and they were offering to put her through CIPD as part of the training.”

Debbie has worked in Human Resources ever since in various industry’s including pharmaceutical, an orchestra, engineering and finally supply chain logistics.

The skills required to work within Human Resources are transferrable to any industry, you just need to understand how that industry works in order to apply those skills appropriately. The ability to problem solve is also a key skill and to manage the risk associated with any problem that arises, which are often never the same especially when dealing with people.

One of the best things about Debbie’s role has been learning about the industry and getting to know some fantastic characters who have worked alongside their fathers and grandfathers to build their businesses up to what they are today.

Without going to university, Debbie became a member of the group’s Operating Board giving her the opportunity to build a department that supports the ever changing operational needs and strategical growth of a business has been the highlight of her career.

Shelby arranges events for our members. This includes regional meetings, our Freight Services Awards, charity dinners, Young Forwarder Network socials and virtual events. Her role required a C grade or above in English and Math, basic IT skills. Her sister-in-law worked for Seetec, and she saw the job vacancy online and sent it to her.

Shelby built the following skills from her experiences in school such as good communication, time management, adaptability, and empathy.

She is motivated by getting opportunities to meet new people at different functions and events. She also loves that she can travel to different places in the country that she hasn’t been to before!

One of Shelby’s career highlights has been planning and attending our Freight Service Awards. We spent half the year planning everything, taking bookings, making sure everything was perfect, and then when the day came, it was really satisfying to see it all come together and all our guests enjoying themselves and even though I was working the whole day, it didn’t feel like it, it was fun!

Looking back on our career expectations, it often feels as if the advice we were given at school has no relevance to the opportunities we eventually end up pursuing – so no career is worth discounting! That’s something Jessica, a Senior Customs Process Administrator, proves in droves.

“When I was at school… if I’m being honest, I didn’t think of logistics as a career path! I applied with the basic school qualifications required, and a degree. Within a year I’ve been promoted to a Senior role, a promotion that comes with more responsibilities but more rewards too.”

Looking after customers means no two days look the same for Jessica. “I might be actioning emails, talking to customers, completing entries or problem solving – finding more efficient ways of doing a process to save time and resources.”

She manages a big account, and a team to help service it. That brings the opportunity to train others, delegate jobs and manage their development. And though Jessica took to her role from the off, she’s also built on her qualifications with training on the job.

“Since joining, I’ve had the opportunity to gain my Level 2 Customs Academy qualification, and to go on to study for Level 4. I also frequently use e-learning to expand my knowledge.”

But the best thing about her role? “I love who I work with. Even though Maersk is a large corporation, I always feel valued. It’s a warm, family-friendly feeling amongst my team.”

Nick’s role is to oversee cyber security activity, including setting Maersk’s cyber priorities based on business context such as customer needs, company operations, company strategy and our associated logistics transformation. Maersk is a global company operating in 130 countries and employing about 100,000 people. It manages container shipping, ports and terminals, and warehousing and distribution, and this all needs to be cyber-secure so our customers can trust us with their data and rely on our resilience. We have 300 professionals covering the internationally recognised cyber security functions of Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.

Nick’s role spans all these functions, and he has a highly diverse Governance team of 33 people operating out of 13 countries helping me with cyber security strategy development, Board-level reporting, business engagement, cyber security training and awareness education, and providing 2nd Line of Defence in our assurance operating model.

His job requires degree level education in a relevant technology discipline. It also requires business training in strategy, finance and obligations of Boards and Directors, such as that available from the Institute of Directors or IMD business school. Similarly, training in unconscious bias and having experience of working effectively with people of different cultures is key to being effective in a genuinely international environment.

Nick made his network of colleagues and friends aware that he was looking for a fresh challenge and a previous boss contacted him to say he had been struggling for months to find the right candidate to fill a new role that was temporarily being filled by a consultant. The more Nick learned about the role, the more excited he got, so he applied.

He had previously served as an Engineer Officer in the Royal Air Force and this had helped him develop the skills to constantly balance the operational imperatives of today with the investment needed to meet the needs of tomorrow. Both are critical to enduring success in logistics.

“The best thing about my role is the people I work with, not just my own team (who are amazing), but across the company as a whole.”

One of Nick’s most consistent career highlights has been the people he has led and their capacity to surprise him whenever they are given a challenge.

Neil’s interest in logistics was piqued after scratching the surface during his undergraduate degree. Having completed a few Logistics and Transport modules while he studied, he found a 12 month graduate trainee course, and was curious to find out more.

The course provided an overview of the logistics industry, with several placements provided in different areas of the business. As well as giving Neil a better understanding of the industry as a whole, the placements helped him to understand where his skills were best suited, and which career path he’d like to follow.

Neil found his home in Solutions Design, where he’s responsible for producing cost effective, practical and innovative solutions for current and future customers. To do his job well Neil needs to understand and analyse customers’ logistics requirements. He models alternative methods of operation and then presents back compelling proposals.

He considers attention to detail and logical thinking to be the most important attributes to have, but he’s in it for the variety:

“I’ve always enjoyed the variety of projects we get to work on in Solutions – no two customers have the same requirements or priorities. One day we can be presenting a solution to a CEO, the next day measuring the racking in a warehouse!”

Oliver’s current 12-month rotation is in the asset management team supporting those working on SEGRO’s Greater London portfolio as he works towards his APC (Assessment of Professional Competence). The job requires a 2:1 classification in any undergraduate degree and five GCSEs (grades 5-9) to apply. Personally, Oliver studied an undergraduate degree in Environmental and Business (a BA), followed by a postgraduate degree in Real Estate (an MSc).

He found the SEGRO graduate scheme both through the SEGRO website and job alerts provided by his university careers department. The position attracted him due to the variety of work he would be getting involved with, in addition to the excellent exposure that a ‘client side’ position can offer. The scheme also provides excellent on-the-job and structured training, which is key for creating a strong foundation of knowledge upon which he can build.

Oliver found playing team sports really boosted his ability to communicate effectively and is something he uses every day in the workplace.

“Although it’s a cliché answer – every day is different. I think this is important both for keeping the job exciting and new, in addition to my personal development and learning.”

Oliver feels that it is essential to try doing different tasks/activities everyday as it really helps boosts the rate of personal progression. Getting his first corporate job at SEGRO has been an amazing career highlight so far. The moment he received the job offer, it reaffirmed to him that all the commitment, hard work and extra-curricular activities he did during his schooling and higher education paid off.

Gemma has been working in logistics for over 16 years, having started with Maersk after completing her A-Levels. As she progressed, her role and expertise rapidly developed.

“I’ve had a number of roles in customer service, sales and business change. I’ve been lucky to live and work abroad, with a range of stakeholders and functions.”

For a period, Gemma’s work took her to India, but wherever she’s been located, and whatever role she’s done, she’s found her core skills of teamwork, leadership and collaboration have been crucial.

“There are so many different channels, elements and roles that provide so many exciting opportunities. I am still learning so much. Paired with the opportunity to be part of such an integral industry to world trade, I find it incredibly interesting.”  

Alongside her current role, Gemma is also part of the Area Senior Leadership Team, making her a superb example of the personal development and progression that such a key part of the sector’s workplace culture.

“My role is an exciting one, in which I get the opportunity to work alongside some of the largest retailers in the UK, and support them with ways to improve their International supply chains.”

Lee’s focus is on understanding those retailers’ needs, then looking into the data, working with internal and external stakeholders, and project managing, before presenting solutions and tracking the benefits. His role demands a variety of skills, including consultative selling, problem solving, data analysis and visualisation, as well as both account and project management.

Lee worked his way up to his current role from trainee planner, and he values analysis, problem solving, logical thinking and a drive to deliver as his strongest professional assets.

When the job came up internally, Lee was quick to jump on an opportunity to learn and develop within the Sea Logistics International Supply Chain team. His main attraction to the role was the support he could give customers with their goals and targets, helping to solve problems that are causing them to lose sleep at night.

“I left college with not great A-levels and went straight into manual labour. I ended up working on a land based drilling rig. Working in this environment taught me a level of resilience, and problem solving – even though it wasn’t through data – was still massively present. On the rig with limited resources it amazed me that if something broke down, certain members of the team could fix it to ensure the job continued – through their experience and knowledge.”

It wasn’t until working in the office on that rig that Lee learned what logistics was. The logistics lead took him under their wing to show him how things worked operationally, and the rest is history.

Growing up in a rural community, Lee was always searching for opportunities to discover and learn new things. He’s forever grateful for the doors logistics has opened for him, and the ones still up ahead.

“Every day is so different, and I get to work with amazing colleagues, and customers who provide challenges for us to solve collaboratively.”

Following a product’s life cycle, and its journey from an order being placed, to that product being produced on the other side of the world, shipped, and then transported to the warehouse, is something Lee is fascinated by: “How we can influence the end customer experience by changing something 5,992+ miles away is incredible.”

Lee was part of the Regional Talent Programme at Kuehne + Nagel, and was one of 100 colleagues across Europe identified for their high performance.

“This was something I never thought I would get to take part in as I have never seen myself as a high performer. I just love the world of logistics!”

Upon leaving college at 18, Sarah secured a job as an export clerk at Clarks, she had no idea what that meant and spent the next couple of years trying to learn the language of logistics.

“Oh how logistics loves an acronym … upon leaving Clarks I joined a logistics company because I thought I knew everything about logistics, oh how wrong was I.”

After more than 25 years in logistics and having worked in the UK, Türkiye, UAE. Sarah has travelled the world in various roles and is still learning. Resilience, adaptability, and problem solving are 3 major skills that come to Sarah’s mind within logistics.

Once she started in logistics, Sarah was hooked. Logistics touches every single industry, every product you see, touch, and use, logistics has played a part. Learning the intricacies of logistics allows you to get to be involved in anything from ensuring products are in the shops for people to buy, medicines and equipment in the hospitals for patients and if lucky even logistics to support those in our armed forces protecting each of us.

Within logistics there is a role for everyone. Whether that be a fixed amount of hours, flexible working hours in a fixed location or flexible locations and hours logistics has it all.

Sarah feels that she has been fortunate that there have been many career highlights but if she has to choose then it was the difference, she felt she made during the lockdown both to the company and our country. Logistics really came to the forefront during the pandemic and for those of us in it, we had to simply roll up our sleeves and get involved in keeping the world moving.

In her role as Early Careers Partner, Lucy manages and coordinates Early Careers and entry talent activities, the associated governance that comes along with it and employee experience, delivering a diverse pipeline of colleagues and entry talent into Wincanton.

Lucy was attracted to the role because she felt it was an area of talent acquisition where she could make a real difference. Her only knowledge of logistics came from her previous role as a retail manager, where she regularly dealt with deliveries and management of stock in a fast-paced warehouse environment with changing priorities. The skills she picked up there, such as communication, team work, problem-solving and people management have proven transferable and valuable within her role at Wincanton.

Lucy relishes the wide range of initiatives she’s able to work on within her role in Early Careers. To support her ongoing development, she was also able to complete a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship with Wincanton.

When asked what the best parts of her job are, Lucy says: “It is really exciting to be involved in new projects and programmes, and to support candidates through their recruitment journey with us. Seeing candidates succeed and join Wincanton is always very rewarding, for me as well as for them!”

Recognised by the managers in her team, including the Talent and Development Director, with a Managers’ Choice award, Lucy was praised for her work ethic and being a ‘go-to’ person in the team to support various projects and queries.

“It was great to know that I am making a difference to the wider team objectives.”

There are roles for everyone in Logistics, including those with transferable skills from other sectors.
Stacey had previously worked in the property market for an estate agent, but came to Buffaload in 2019 to begin a new path as a Transport Administrator.

Progression has been key to Stacey’s success at Buffaload. Starting out at the Newark depot, Stacey then transferred to the key depot at Crewe where she worked her way up to the role of Senior Customer Service Administrator, with another promotion landing her the role of Customer Service and Export Manager.

The diversity of the role is what keeps it exciting. Of her current role, Stacey says “Every day is different, no day is ever the same. It keeps me on my toes. I enjoy the challenge when deadlines are tight and there are obstacles to overcome. I enjoy the working environment, we are all family here which makes for good collaboration and support.”

Looking to the future, Stacey has strong career goals within the industry.

“I enjoy mentoring my team and look forward to more progression, maybe into training roles. I’m excited by the future prospects for Buffaload and being a part of it.”

Many who join the logistics industry arrive with no prior experience of the sector, but for some, it’s a family business.

“My father was a Class One driver for over 50 years, I was brought up in and around road transport, travelling all over Europe with him during my school holidays. It ignited a passion for the industry.” The road was where Robert started his career too, as a driver.

You might not find Robert on the road so much these days, but his current role as Group Operations Manager at Kinaxia has offered just as much experience and variety. “I look after the operational requirements of our General Haulage and Network divisions, supporting the Managing Director with the development and growth of the business.”

Learning on the job was clearly something Robert picked up from his dad, too. “After GCSEs, I went straight into a modern apprenticeship studying business – this allowed me to go straight into a working environment whilst furthering my education.”

And those skills have been bolstered ever since, “I currently have my Transport Managers CPC, as part of our businesses Operators License. I also have my Class 1 licenses, but I use my ‘driver’ knowledge as a useful asset in planning now I’m office based.”

Chris is the Product Leader for Contract Logistics in Europe at CEVA Logistics, and he is responsible for 19,000 colleagues, across 34 countries in the European region.

For his role, people skills are the biggest attribute required. Working with diverse colleagues from different cultures is exciting although can also be challenging, and understanding different cultures and ways of working is important. One of the best things about Chris’s role is the diverse variation of people he interacts with. Commercial awareness and general leadership skills are also key to enable us to drive and shape our overall business strategy.

Chris started his career in logistics when he took a sandwich placement year with TNT Logistics, which later became CEVA Logistics. After finishing his degree at university, he then returned and has now been with CEVA for over 20 years.

During this time, Chris has held various roles within the business from Warehouse Manager and General Manager, through to senior level positions including Managing Director for the UK, Ireland, and Nordics, before transitioning to his European role in 2023

When Chris joined the logistics industry, he actually wasn’t sure what to expect! Since joining the sector, he has found it to be fast-paced and extremely varied. The business continues to be rewarding for everyone who decides to start a career in logistics as there are a multitude of roles available!