Another month goes by, bringing with it more good news to share with our customers, partners and colleagues here at Hemisphere Freight Services (HFS).
In June alone, we have celebrated the work anniversaries of six members of the HFS team, congratulated our apprentice Jack Reddington on his recent appointment as Vice Chair of the East Anglian Young Forwarder Network Group, and recognised the hard work of our team (both on and off the green) at the Inspire Suffolk Golf Day.
HFS Sponsors Inspire Suffolk Golf Day
HFS was proud to sponsor the annual Inspire Suffolk Golf Day on Thursday, 6 June, which this year raised just under £5,000 for Inspire Suffolk. Hosted by our Managing Director, Andy Perrin, and former Ipswich Town captain, Matt Holland, the event saw 20 teams comprising local businesses and charity supporters take to the fairways. A handful of HFS team members took part, including Stephanie Cotton and Caroline Simmons who helped raise £1,000 in the ‘beat the pro’ and putting challenges.
We have been working with Inspire Suffolk for the past three years, providing work experience placements to young people who have faced personal challenges, and offering additional support in the shape of mentorship. The charity works hard to help young adults find a way back into employment or family life, with programmes designed to improve self-confidence, self esteem and motivation.
In April, our warehouse operative Dean Lambert was named ‘Inspirational Young Person of the Year’ at the 2019 Inspire Suffolk Awards. Dean is one of two HFS employees who we have welcomed to the team on a full-time basis following work placements organised in partnership with Inspire Suffolk. Andy Perrin was also named ‘Supporter of the Year’ at the same awards, in recognition of his support of the charity.
Six Employees Celebrate HFS Milestones
Six members of our team celebrated significant work milestones recently, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to recognise their outstanding contributions to HFS.
SIMON JORDAN
Clocking up an impressive 15 years with Hemisphere, Simon plays a key role as Export Supervisor, overseeing a team of three and ensuring the smooth running of our export department. His other responsibilities include liaising with UK and overseas customers including key accounts, taking bookings, arranging collections, completing all pre-bookings, and handling all air freight paperwork and NES (National Export System) entries.
A personal highlight for Simon during his time at Hemisphere was hand-carrying cruise ship engine parts to Barbados on behalf of one of our overseas partners. “I love the challenging and varied nature of the shipments we manage at Hemisphere,” he says.
ANDY FLETCHER
It’s a decade at HFS for Andy Fletcher, who has played an instrumental role in our accounts department since joining in 2009. As Key Account Clerk, Andy’s responsibilities include arranging collection and delivery of consignments worldwide on behalf of our key client Pandrol; liaising with agents and hauliers to arrange shipments; raising all necessary paperwork, including client invoices, for each movement; and dealing with clients’ letter of credit requirements.
“I enjoy working in a friendly environment with a team that is consistently committed to providing a service that is second-to-none,” says Andy. “Going the extra mile to satisfy our client gives me an enormous sense of wellbeing.”
IAN STEWART
Ian has spent five successful years as Project Coordinator for HFS, becoming a key member of our projects team. In his day-to-day role, Ian manages quotes and all other operational aspects of our projects, from booking all the way through to delivery. With every project being different, he relishes the fact that “every day is a new challenge”.
One of Ian’s highlights was managing multiple shipments of data centre components to Australia for our valued client, Bladeroom. “It was fantastic to deliver a project of that nature, especially as it was successfully completed in budget and on time,” says Ian.
LETITIA SIBLEY
Also celebrating five years at HFS, Leti plays an important role within our Transport team. With a background in accounting, she is responsible for invoicing all transport jobs, attaching proof of delivery (POD) to every load, and dealing with any invoice queries from customers.
Additional responsibilities include checking transport jobs are correctly rated and entered; ensuring month end accounts are completed correctly and on time; and, when necessary, assisting the operations department with monitoring emails, building jobs, dealing with transport queries and providing quotes to customers.
“I am proud to be working for a company as ambitious and supportive as HFS, and couldn’t wish to work with a better bunch of people,” says Leti.
MARY BAKER
It’s also five years and counting for Mary Baker, our Recycling Team Administrator. Mary’s primary responsibilities at HFS involve managing export documentation and general administration for our recycling team. With this department continuing to grow, it is very reliant on the first-class support that Mary provides on a day-to-day basis.
“My favourite thing about Hemisphere is being able to work with so many good-natured colleagues and keeping our customers happy,” says Mary. “I also take a lot of pride and enjoyment from helping develop our younger employees.”
ALEX STHANAKIYA
Celebrating three years at HFS, Alex is our primary liaison with overseas partners for sea freight shipments. As Global Network Manager, his key responsibilities include dealing with our partners’ day-to-day rates enquiries and ensuring HFS are competitive enough to meet their needs, as well as identifying opportunities to expand and develop our global partner network.
“Since joining Hemisphere, it has been refreshing to be encouraged and trusted to apply my own methods to the work I do,” says Alex. “I am also lucky to be working with very experienced colleagues, and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting with partners in places such as India, France and Singapore. I believe Hemisphere is the perfect place for me to further progress my career in this fantastic industry.”
Jack Reddington Named Vice Chair of East Anglia YFN Group
We are pleased to announce that our Exports Apprentice, Jack Reddington, has been named Vice Chair of the East Anglia Young Forwarder Network (YFN) Group – supported by the British International Freight Association (BIFA).
The YFN initiative was launched in March 2019 and is now established across several regions in the UK. The aim of the network is to provide the new generation of logistics professionals the chance to break from the office, see and hear about the real world of logistics, and build industry contacts and friendships.
In his role for the East Anglia YFN Group, Jack will be coordinating and planning the group’s networking events, including industry tours, speakers, educational events and social events.
Jack originally joined Hemisphere in September 2018 and began working closely with the exports team to absorb the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively build a career in the logistics industry. In those eight months, Jack has proved himself to be a conscientious and determined individual, making him a worthy vice chair for the YFN.
His appointment comes as we continue to dedicate our time and resources to developing industry skills and networking opportunities in the region, with Director Louis Perrin’s role as ambassador in particular helping to facilitate events and provide guidance to those starting out in the industry. Louis said: “I love this industry, and it has provided so many opportunities for me in the past. That’s why I continue to promote it as a career to others, and provide them with a platform to also enjoy fulfilling careers.”
