FIATA and TT Club congratulate regional winners of young international forwarders award

FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations and international freight transport insurer, TT Club, announce this year’s regional winners for the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award (YIFFYA). For over 20 years, the award has been providing valuable training opportunities for young talent in the freight forwarding industry.

The YIFFYA has again attracted many talented candidates from around the world. Representing their respective companies and national associations, candidates submitted their dissertations earlier in the year, focused on demonstrating their expertise in freight forwarding. The dissertations sought to illustrate complex multimodal shipments of cargoes such as large crane assemblies, locomotives, halal meat and rainbow trout eggs. Many of the candidates this year were able to further demonstrate their expertise through inclusion of COVID-19 challenges, explaining how these were overcome.

TT Club recognises the importance of encouraging new talent in the freight forwarding business and has supported the competition with its sponsorship throughout the 20 years of the award’s history. Mike Yarwood, TT Club’s Managing Director, Loss Prevention and the Chair of the Award Steering Committee, commented “The awards continue to celebrate the achievements of young forwarders and both the Club and FIATA recognise the high standards of professionalism in our industry that must be exhibited in the most challenging of times. Throughout the current crisis – and for some time into the future – forwarders will be critical to the maintenance of an efficient and effective global supply chain.”

This year’s regional winners are:
FIATA President Basil Pietersen added his congratulations to the four winners, “Our award aims to contribute to the development of quality professionals and reward young talent. The entries this year were, as ever, of a high standard and drew from a wide range of dissertation topics. I am heartened by the exceptional work of all the entrants, which demonstrates the complexity of processes carried out within the global supply chain and the logistics skills required to serve it. In addition, they underline the need of forwarders worldwide to adapt quickly to regulatory, political and economic pressures.”

• Region Europe: Ms Femke Marie Fürst (DSLV – Germany)
• Region Africa and Middle East: Ms Vimbai Loreen Manyumbu (SFAAZ – Zimbabwe)
• Region Americas: Ms Anastasia Gureeva (CIFFA – Canada)
• Region Asia Pacific: Mr Umair Aamir Sheikh (PIFFA – Pakistan)

Traditionally, the four regional winners would present their dissertations to the Award Steering Committee at the FIATA World Congress, with final judging and the announcement of the global winner taking place during the event. Travel restrictions being as they are, there will be no congress held this year, so the judging will be completed remotely, with the regional winners’ entries being presented via videocall in October 2020.

Both FIATA and TT Club wish to thank all those individuals who entered this year’s competition and acknowledge their employers and national freight forwarding associations for the enthusiasm and commitment they have shown to ongoing training within the international logistics and freight forwarding sector.