The British International Freight Association (BIFA) celebrated the recent launch of the Solent branch of its Young Forwarder Network with a visit to the Wallenius Wilhelmsen ro-ro terminal at the port of Southampton.
The newly formed Solent branch brings the number of regional groups within the YFN to seven adding to the existing groups for London Heathrow, London East, Avonmouth, North West, Anglia and Midlands regions.
Several members of the Solent branch were treated to an exclusive tour delivered via Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s best-in-class RoRo Solutions Academy Workshop.
Ben Dempsey, Manager Customer Growth (Liner Sales UK & Ireland) at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean & Solutions said:
“It was an honour to be chosen for the inaugural event of this new regional branch of the YFN; and we were proud to be able to showcase the shipping line’s ro-ro business to the next generation of industry leaders.
“It was inspiring to see such curiosity and passion on display from young executives that were present on the tour, who will no doubt go forward to shape the industry sustainably in their careers.”
Established in 2019, BIFA’s YFN enables participants to enhance their career by providing opportunities to support their professional development through exclusive in-person events, boosting knowledge, sharing skills, advice, and experiences from industry professionals, and providing visits to places of industry interest.
The YFN also exists in a virtual format, which was established during the pandemic lockdown to enable the networking opportunities to continue online and remains active with events every month or so that are open to members nationwide.
The network in its real and virtual forms is committed to promoting the logistics and forwarding sector as an exciting career choice and BIFA members are encouraged and supported to inspire the next generation within their local communities.
Paul Cunningham, BIFA’s regional representative for the South and South West Region, said:
“I look forward to working with the local organising committee of our new Solent regional group to attract new members and develop a programme of events that are both educational and provide opportunities for networking.
“Five years on from the start of the YFN, we have held over 138 events ranging from the educational, such as presentations on specific aspects of the freight and logistics industry, to purely social. The YFN Group on LinkedIn is now a community of almost 2,700 followers.”
