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6.
October
2020.
TALENT IN LOGISTICS CELEBRATES THE SECTOR
TALENT IN LOGISTICS CELEBRATES THE SECTOR 

The fourth annual Talent in Logistics Awards for 2020 took place on Thursday 1 October and was not quite the glittering awards ceremony that we have become accustomed to, but given the extraordinary circumstances the sector has found itself in this year, the team at Talent in Logistics thought it only right to deliver a virtual awards night that promoted the celebration and recognition of all those working in logistics. 

Among those taking away an award were GEFCO in the Best Place to Work category, with judges being hugely impressed by the high levels of employee engagement, the commitment shown to health and wellbeing and an impressive investment into people development.

Meanwhile, Kate Lester of Diamond Logistics was named Inspirational Leader of the Year, while Collaboration in People Development went to Hermes and Abbey Logistics scooped the Training Team of the Year title.

The awards night also featured the Forklift Operator of the Year announcement, which followed a series of exciting, interactive and live challenges earlier in September - finalists went head-to-head for the title, and it was won by Scott Trotham of National Composites Centre. 

This year also included the second LGV Driver of the Year competition, and for this there was not 1 but 2 prizes. The CAT C competition was won by Ryan Hunt of Bidfood and the CAT C + E was won by Carl Webster of Buffaload Logistics. This accolade not only celebrated the drivers who are the face of the logistics sector, but provided another thrilling live spectacle hosted at the National Logistics Academy headquarters.

The Talent in Logistics Awards also saw categories, such as Innovation in Recruitment and Rising Star, which were awarded to Business on the Move and Sadie Booth of Pertemps Driver Training respectively.

Ruth Edwards, Business Development Director at Talent in Logistics, said: “Our awards are testimony to the hard working, inspirational and fantastic people we have in this sector. Standards of entries were exceptionally high, and showcased the very best in innovation, engagement and tenacity. I’ve been really encouraged by the number of businesses putting team members and initiatives forward, despite the challenges we have faced as a sector this year, which speaks volumes about the confidence they have in their work, as well as the future of logistics and its people strategies.”

The winners announced on the night were:

Best Place to Work; GEFCO
Collaboration in People Development; HERMES
Industry Ambassador of the Year; JENNIFER SWAIN, ROAD TO LOGISTICS 
Inspirational Leader of the Year; KATE LESTER, DIAMOND LOGISTICS 
Instructor of the Year; STEVEN SADLER, KENT FORKLIFT TRAINING  
Innovation in Recruitment; BUSINESS ON THE MOVE
Innovative Training Programme; RTITB & MA-SYSTEM
Rising Star of the Year; SADIE BOOTH, PERTEMPS DRIVER TRAINING 
Training Provider of the Year; FLEET SOURCE
Training Team of the Year; ABBEY LOGISTICS GROUP
Health, Safety and Wellbeing; CLIPPER LOGISTICS 
Forklift Operator of the Year; SCOTT TROTHAM, NATIONAL COMPOSITES CENTRE
LGV Driver of the Year (CAT C); RYAN HUNT, BIDFOOD
LGV Driver of the Year (CAT C+E); CARL WEBSTER, BUFFALOAD LOGISTICS 

Ruth added “The main aim for this year’s awards was to celebrate the sector together with organisations and individuals to shine a light on all of its achievements despite the challenging conditions, ensuring our key focus is on the people who are seldom recognised, but without whom our sector could not survive, and we feel that we achieved this.”

Ends

Editor’s Notes

About Talent in Logistics  

Through events, publications and services, Talent in Logistics is dedicated to helping the multi-modal logistics sector to overcome people and skills challenges, by working together as a community.

Since 2017, Talent in Logistics has been providing unique ways to support employers and training providers in recruiting, developing, engaging, and retaining the very best people and addressing the sector-wide skills shortage.  It does this through focused conferences, free webinars, and an annual Awards event, as well as the esteemed Forklift Operator of the Year and LGV Driver of the Year competitions.  

With its unique position focused on people within multi-modal logistics, Talent in Logistics is also dedicated to developing high quality, accessible resources for the benefit of our community, and the industry as a whole. This includes research, white papers, publications, and podcasts, alongside a free Jobs Board and ‘Learning Through Logistics’ resources to help encourage future generations of talent.

#ilovelogistics

This year’s awards were sponsored by:

Smart Recruit Online
The Open University
UniCarriers
Pertemps Driver Training
National Forklift Safety Day 
Think Logistics
British International Freight Association
Woodfines Solicitors 
A-SAFE
System Group
Investors in People
Abbey Attachments