BIFA unveils 2020 award winners, who have to celebrate alone

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BIFA’s traditional January lunch and freight award ceremony have been sorely missed by the UK freight forwarding industry – but lack of a party does not lessen the accomplishments of the winners.

BIFA has now revealed, in a series of video presentations, its freight service award winners.

Air Cargo Services, sponsored by ASM UK, was won by Simarco Worldwide Logistics, which pipped DHL Global Forwarding, Kerry Logistics, and Ligentia Global to the post.

Atlantic Pacific Global Logistics won the Ocean Services award, sponsored by Port Express. It beat competition from Killick Martin & Co and Westbound Logistics Services.

DB Schenker won the Project Forwarding category, sponsored by Peter Lole Insurance Brokers. It defeated fellow finalists Atlantic Pacific Global Logistics, RIF Worldwide, Specialist Logistics Services and Ucargo.

In the Specialist Services category, presented by Transaid, the winner was NNR Global Logistics; other finalists included B&H Worldwide, In Time Worldwide Logistics and Lila International Logistics.

B&H Worldwide was revealed as the winner in the Supply Chain Management category, sponsored by BoxTop Technologies. BIFA said it beat “strong competition” from fellow finalists Killick Martin & Company, Ligentia Global and Progressive 3PL.

First place in the Cool & Special Cargoes category, sponsored by TT Club, was Gist, which overcame fellow finalist Killick Martin & Co.

And the Extra Mile Award, sponsored by Descartes, was won by United Worldwide Logistics over fellow finalists Kerry Logistics, Moto Freight and Pentagon Freight.

Morrison Freight triumphed in the Staff Development category, which was sponsored by Albacore Systems.

Winner of the highly coveted Apprentice of the Year category, sponsored by Seetec Outsource, was Ryan Wilkes from Kuehne + Nagel, who defeated fellow finalists Chloe Hamlett (Charles Kendall Freight), Eloise Hill (DHL Global Forwarding), Stuart Lupton (DHL Global Forwarding), Ben Milligan (DHL Global Forwarding) and Harry Wilson (Ligentia UK).

Meanwhile, Katy Hopkinson from Kuehne + Nagel defeated fellow finalists Jack Coope (B&H Worldwide), Sam Greenhalgh (Zencargo), Zoe Lowe (Kerry Logistics), Keegan Starkey (Specialist Logistics Services) and Beckie Vallance (Geodis) to become the Young Freight Forwarder of the year, sponsored by Virgin Atlantic Cargo.

Robert Keen, BIFA’s director general, said: “BIFA has been delighted with the range of entries received … from BIFA members that managed to take the time to document their achievements while continuing to manage their businesses through incredibly trying times, which is a testament to their tenacity.

“It adds to the esteem in which the BIFA Freight Service Awards, now in its fourth decade and rightly seen as the blue riband event for the UK’s freight forwarding and logistics sector, is held. I congratulate all the companies that won each category as well as those that were shortlisted as finalists.

“I would also like to recognise the support and contribution of the sponsors to the running of the competition this year. Representatives from the category sponsors have given their time to carry out judging and the selection of winners for each award.”