Company: Maersk
Role: Customs Compliance Officer
Sarah is currently working as a Customs Compliance Officer, part of a larger and diverse Compliance team at Maersk. Her role involves identifying, managing, and mitigating compliance risks associated with CHB execution, while providing advice and guidance to the business in customs compliance related areas.
Sarah started as a Customs Process Administrator; Maersk enrolled her on the UK Customs Academy Level 2 Customs Practice & Procedure course. This training introduces the core concepts of international trade and customs. Upon successful completion of this course, she was given the option to progress to the Level 4 Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance. To become a Customs Compliance Office at Maersk, a UKCA L2 (or higher) qualification is required.
After completing her A-levels, Sarah decided not to attend university. In October 2019, she decided to try something different and change career paths. Sarah thought she would need to gain some experience in other sectors and began searching for entry level positions. On the gov.uk apprenticeship webpage, there was a position advertised at Maersk to complete a Level 3 Business Administration qualification.
“On reflection, I think that at the time of applying, working in logistics was secondary to my objective of gaining experience and completing a qualification. Though once I started at Maersk, I was surprised to discover the breadth and scope of the industry.”
She joined Maersk in November 2019 as an apprentice and was allocated to the Control Team, afterwards she moved to a Customs Process Administrator role in preparation for Brexit. Sarah welcomed the opportunity to study, in more depth, an aspect of logistics that she had encountered whilst on the Control Team. After working within Customs for around 2 years, she moved to a role within the Compliance team in March 2023 to further develop her knowledge and skills.
Sarah would describe herself as inquisitive and solution oriented and enjoys the challenge of a puzzle. She also enjoys dynamic environments, through previous careers, she has learnt to work collaboratively and creatively to solve issues, paying attention to detail to ensure successful completion of tasks and projects.
Sarah has been afforded many amazing opportunities whilst working at Maersk. An absolute highlight for her was being invited to attend a Parliamentary Reception as part of Generation Logistics. It was an otherworldly experience, and an incredible opportunity to meet with people passionate about this industry!