VIRGIN ATLANTIC CARGO SPONSORS BIFA AWARD TO PROMOTE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN FREIGHT FORWARDING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to sponsor the British International Freight Association’s (BIFA) ‘Young Freight Forwarder of the Year’ award for the fourth consecutive year to promote the international career opportunities the industry has to offer to motivated and talented young people.

The Young Freight Forwarder category is open to individuals working for a BIFA Member company who are under the age of 32, with, preferably, a minimum of two years’ employment in the freight industry. Individuals are nominated by their employers for the award and the winner is selected by a judging panel led by BIFA’s Director General, Robert Keen.

The winner will receive their award at the annual BIFA Freight Awards Ceremony luncheon in London on January 22, 2015, which brings together over 500 executives from the British freight industry. 

Robert Keen said: “It's great to have a global brand that is so well-known by the younger generation as the sponsor of this award. Getting young people into freight forwarding and logistics is vital. They are the future of the industry, which offers an amazing variety of opportunities for personal development and early career progression.”

John Lloyd, Director of Cargo at Virgin Atlantic, said: “We are proud to sponsor this award and to support BIFA’s commitment to attract and develop the next generation of freight industry leaders. We understand the 2013 winner Phoebe Rockwood of Damco UK is continuing to make great progress in her career development and now has full responsibility for one of Damco’s biggest European accounts. Phoebe also represented Damco UK in a recent Maersk Group training and development session in The Hague that focused on diversity in the Group and career progression into senior positions. We hope the next winner of the award will be equally inspired to realise their potential.”

Writing the introduction to a new ‘Air Logistics Handbook’, published last year, Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group, urged university graduates, college students and school leavers to explore a career in air logistics. He said: “Air travel has transformed all of our lives and helps us experience different cultures and make new friends all over the world. However, airlines are not only about passengers. To make them work successfully, you also need to build a growing and award-winning cargo service and at Virgin we’ve done that too. Air logistics is a phenomenal industry and has become even more important not only to the success of airlines but also to every consumer and business leader around the world. I encourage you to explore the many career opportunities this outstanding industry offers.”

The BIFA Freight Service Awards competition is in its 26th year. The competition encourages and rewards high standards and professionalism, representing the ultimate recognition of special achievements in different sectors of the industry. BIFA is the trade association for UK-registered companies engaged in the international movement of freight by all modes of transport and has some 1,500 freight forwarder members.

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