Staff Profiles – Introducing… Adam Smith

International Freight Consultant, Adam Smith

Adam began working in transportation through an apprenticeship scheme upon leaving school and has racked up more than 20 years knowledge and experience in the industry, working in many different departments at Courier Logistics. He was grateful to receive two nominations whilst working there, attending both the junior business awards at Ponds Forge, Sheffield and the young achiever’s awards at Magna, Rotherham, which were in praise of his hard-work and dedication, going that extra mile within the workplace.

After working alongside Paul Johnson for a couple of years in the International department at Courier Logistics, Adam joined the new start-up business of International Freight Solutions in June 2016. Since working at IFS he has enjoyed learning about new country regulations and customs procedures. He especially enjoys the challenge of getting an enquiry about a far flung country he has never heard of before!

A typical day for Adam will generally involve helping customers with new shipping enquiries or assisting with current ‘in transit’ orders. At IFS, the team puts high value in customer services and consequently all staff have a hand in each department, enabling the team to offer a comprehensive service. This might be in sales, operations, accounts or aftercare so there is always something new to be working on which makes no two days the same.

We asked Adam a few more questions about his work and play…

What kind of customers or businesses do you get to work with? “The good thing about our nature of business is that we can be helping a whole array of different businesses, from your average printing press company to helping ship a private individuals arts and craft work overseas for example. I take pride in getting items from A-B wether it is something bog standard or something more complex and getting them to where they need to be on time is what its all about, and when you get a thanks and a smiley face at the end of it makes a job well done”.
What do you love most about your role? “The world map is intriguing, you can study a map for years and you will always come across something new, some new island or part of the world you have never heard of before. When you get an enquiry in and a customer asks you to ship somewhere such as Floresti and you think where on earth is that? You research it and realise it’s a city in Moldova, it is yet something new you have learnt”.
How do you relax when you are not at work? “I love getting stuck into a new house or garden project. I enjoy practical things and appreciating the change and difference it makes. Getting out and about, exploring, travelling and seeing my friends and family are generally how I spend my weekends”.

Adam’s other interests lie in a passion for photography and Italy. Where possible, he likes to submit his landscape photography to competitions and has been able to sell a couple to printing publishers for their magazine articles. His love of travel lead to his discovering some of the rural towns and cities of Italy, where he has had the opportunity to study Italian at the Istituto Italiano in Florence. Travelling to Italy has become an annual voyage for him, where he maps out new places to visit. He divides his holiday time between volunteering in Tuscany and Umbria, helping with local people and projects and was able to contribute towards the relief efforts for the Amatrice earthquake appeal.