Looking back now to the time I received the news that Kestrel, the UK’s premier Liner Agency Company and expert in shipping to and from the Caribbean and the wider Commonwealth, were to be named In Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, still brings a tear to my eye and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Receiving the much coveted 'Queens Award' for Enterprise International Trade fills me with a sense of pride.
Here, a small group of people, motivated by changing the way we did business, were being recognized at the highest level.
We remain the only Liner Agency ever to be the recipient of such an award.
Meeting The Queen is still the highlight of my life.
Since then we have experienced further years of continuous growth, an expanding and ever more motivated workforce, focused on changing the way the industry delivers its business.
Six years of continual growth, employing people, delivering growth, making everyone proud and changing the way everyone in the industry did business.
Little old Kestrel. My Kestrel, the dream of a young man who set up a shipping company to be the best in the world. What started as a radical way of doing business is now commonplace.
Fast forward 7 years and where are we now, a multinational company with group turnover of USD 70 million and heading for 100 million, and The 'Queens Award', there is no doubt it has opened doors, given opportunities for us to grow and expand and is always a talking point at every business meeting.
For more information about The 'Queens Award' click here. Read more about Kestrel's 'Queen's Award' here.
As if receiving One Queens Award wasn’t enough, we received notification in April, that we were once again to be the recipient in 2018. The First Shipping Company to Be Named in The Queens Birthday Honors list, now a second Queens award, a testament to our efforts and core values.
Read more here
