Andy Thorne has been named in the prestigious IFW and Lloyd’s Loading List top 100 most influential people in the global freight industry. IFW, the leading freight and logistics news service and Lloyd’s Loading List have ranked the top 100 people internationally within air freight, logistics, rail, road and shipping, as well as those whose regulatory or political positions have considerable effect on the global freight business.
In order to establish a criteria to base their selection on, IFW took into account all the major elements of a logistics provider whether that be haulage, warehousing, freight forwarding and looked for the qualities that make a true supply chain expert. In particular they looked for the ability to innovate as a principle factor, along with commitment to the industry’s good from a holistic viewpoint.
In the current climate, they also took into consideration the ability of leaders of companies to guide their organisation prior to and during a time of recession, and their plans for afterwards.
The individuals selected were not then ranked by number, as it was felt this would be too complicated a process, but were selected into the top 100 echelon of the International Supply Chain industry.
Within the UK, there are only 25 UK freight leaders selected, from across the variety of sectors mentioned above. Showing yet again, the strength of industry excellence exhibited by Andy Thorne; both personally and through the Kestrel group of companies.
This is another example of where the innovative approach undertaken by Andy and the depth and spread of his influence is felt. This latest accolade follows hot on the heels of the Companies’ selection as Finalists for the 2011 IFW Awards in the categories of Customer Service and Small to Medium Freight Forwarder, and also a finalist for Young Freight Fowarder of the Year for a younger member of staff. Outside of the freight industry, Andy was also a Finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year for the National Business Awards, and for Customer Focus.
His recent recognition only goes to prove the strength of Andy’s position within both his chosen industry and also within British business in general.
Under such leadership Kestrel has continued to grow from strength to strength during difficult economic times, and it’s goals for 2012 are equally amibitious.
Reflecting back on the last couple of years, Andy commented “I am extremely proud to be part of both my industry and of course Kestrel and the brilliant team of people I have around me. Of course meeting HM The Queen as a recipient of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, International Trade remains a huge highlight. I am continually amazed at the recognition I have received personally throughout 2011, and am fully committed to continuing to grow the company and looking at new and innovative areas to expand into”.
One such new area is Kestrel Renewables which is focusing on hybrid lighting that utilise both wind and solar energy to provide environmentally friendly power and lighting to anywhere in the world. The Kestrel brand has truly world-wide recognition synonymous with quality and excellence of service, and is driven by industry experts in areas from containerised freight (less than container and full container loads) to breakbulk, out of gauge, specialist oil and gas equipment to project management for complex supply chains.
