Irish International Freight Association are pleased to announce the inaugural Young Irish Freight Forwarder of the Year Competition.
This is an initiative to promote and recognise the work of young professionals in the industry. Cargo movements in themselves are achievements of planning and successful delivery of coordinated carrier movements. There are many exciting success stories within the industry of delivering creative solutions for Clients and this competition aims to provide a platform for the work of young Irish Freight Forwarders to be recognised.
This Irish competition will also act as the selection process for Ireland's Candidate for the annual FIATA global Young Logistics Professional Award (YLP). The individual chosen to be selected as the Irish winner for 2024 will then be nominated forward by IIFA to represent Ireland with the 2024 FIATA YLP.
While IIFA has sent Candidates forward for the FIATA YLP in the past, this initiative introduces a new selection process. IIFA will host a national competition among Irish Forwarders. There will be a National Young Irish Freight Forwarder of the Year each year (from within the membership body) and that Winner will then go forward to represent Ireland globally through the FIATA Young Logistics Professional.
In addition to being selected to represent Ireland through the FIATA YLP, the annual Irish Winner will receive a prize of a €500 voucher, an individual trophy and their name on a perpetual trophy which will be awarded to subsequent annual National Young Irish Freight Forwarder of the Year winners.
A Young Logistics Professional under 35 years of age undertakes to write a thesis focusing on two shipments, one Export and one Import, from their Country, focusing on the detail and complexity of handling the shipment. 4x Region Winners are selected by FIATA and these 4 then travel to the annual FIATA World Congress (Panama City, 23rd – 27th September 2024) to complete in the finals where an overall winner will be chosen. The project can be a real or research shipment. IIFA can nominate one person to represent Ireland in the 2024 competition by 1st February 2024.
For 2023, nominated Irish Representatives will undergo a short, internal competition in order to be short listed. The internal competition will comprise a written piece of 500 – 700 words outlining their career to date and their prospective topic for the FIATA YLP competition. A committee from within IIFA’s Education Committee will then select, from that shortlist, who will be awarded Young Irish Freight Forwarder of the Year and will then support that individual with their preparations to represent Ireland with the 2024 FIATA YLP.
Andre Hein Gerber of South Africa was announced as the 2023 FIATA YLP Winner at the 2023 FIATA World Congress in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday 5th October 2023. FIATA have made available a video from the 2023 FWC in which each of the 4x Regional Winners speak about their projects for the competition.
Each of the Regional Finalists have engaging stories to tell these can be heard via the video above:
14:50 – 28:05
Andre’s thesis detailed two very different cargo movements; the import of a super abnormal reactor from Italy to South Africa and the export of sweets factory from Johannesburg to Angola. Andre’s presentation contains a creative analogy to describe the teamwork behind Freight Forwarding operations.
39:10 – 46:30
Nils summarised a cosmetics cargo movement from Malaysia to Hamburg and the careful considerations needed along the cargo journey.
Ireland is fortunate to have had Representatives from Members step forward in the past. The most recent individuals from Member firms were Elizabeth Taveres of SEKO Logistics Ireland Ltd and Corey Jordan of Network International Cargo.
Seamus Kavanagh, Executive Officer at IIFA, Elizabeth Tavares, Key Account Manager at SEKO Logistics Ireland and Jack Chambers, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics
For 2023, Elizabeth penned a 6,000 word thesis entitled 5G Technology – Cross Trade Shipping and 3PL Services. Elizabeth’s thesis is a case study handling 5G telecommunication hardware from Asia to Ireland, where it is tested and configured by Engineers before being exported to the USA. As a competitive entry, Elizabeth’s thesis took a really strong approach to the competition; it was a thoroughly researched piece that was meticulously supported with reference material and freight documentation throughout.
Corey Jordan, Customs Compliance Specialist at Network International Cargo Ltd and Terry Sweeney, 2021 – 2022 President of Irish International Freight Association
For 2022, Corey’s thesis Brexit Phase Two. The Freight Forwarder dealing with the realities of Customs and adding value to their services was an excellent case study of a Freight Forwarder’s role in aiding their Client through a complex cargo movement. This thesis is in fact a record of a cargo movement from January 2021 and indirectly acts as a time capsule of the difficult period Forwarders faced as Customs Clearance procedures were first re-introduced between Irish and UK trade. The full rulebook had not yet been written and Corey’s thesis is a solid record of a Freight Forwarder’s effort to deliver on their Client’s needs and to keep the Supply Chain both flowing and compliant.
Within Irish International Freight Association we are excited to be able to offer an opportunity to Members and their young colleagues of the Irish Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage industry to be recognised for their often underrecognized creative work. Members interested in nominating a Colleague forward for this competition are asked to contact the IIFA Secretariat via 01 845 5411 or e-mail through to info@iifa.ie.
