South Africa’s Justin John Goedhart has been announced as the winner for the Africa and Middle East region of the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award (YIFF YA).It’s organised by the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (Fiata) and international freight transport insurer, TT Club, Goedhart, who is employed by CFR Freight, will now compete against the three other regional winners for the coveted Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year title.For over 20 years, the YIFFYA has provided valuable training opportunities for young talent in the freight forwarding industry.“We are pleased to have received such exceptional work from young professionals for this year’s award, despite the challenges we continue to face globally due to the pandemic,” said Fiata president, Basil Pietersen. “The quality of the dissertations and relevance of the topics addressed this year – covering areas such as bales of fabric, medical supplies, out-of-gauge plant, and laboratory equipment – truly demonstrate the resilience of the supply chain.”Pietersen stressed the importance of nurturing future talent in the freight forwarding industry in the context of the disruptive effects of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This made the YIFF YA competition more relevant than ever.Goedhart now goes head-to-head with European winner Glauck Fornes Gil of Spain, Georgina Alejandra Perez of Canada, who is the Americas winner, and Pakistan’s Muhammad Wasif Wiqar, Asia-Pacific region w inner.Traditionally, the four regional winners would present their dissertations at the Fiata World Congress, with final judging and the announcement of the global winner taking place during the event. However, with the postponement of this year’s congress, the judging will be completed remotely, and the global winner will be announced in November this year.Challenge is that shipping and logistics is not understood or often just overlooked as a career opportunity.– Catherine Moodie“Justin John Goedhart
