Headford Group newsletter 2024

A word from Craig

2023 was a year of readjusting the sails so that we can all push forward in 2024 and 2025 and grow our revenues streams, offices and trade lanes once again.

There is no doubt in my mind the industry is currently still trying to work out what the new norm looks like. We have had the Brexit scare, Covid and then the Post Covid Boom which was fantastic for all of us, and we made hay whilst the sun shone. Now the industry is looking at or trying to assess what the new norm looks like or is it just back to the old norm now the dust has settled. I would suggest for some of you it’s time to look at all areas of your Forwarding businesses and to look as at some slicker quicker tech that can greatly improve efficiency and

improve your service levels and margins. Time is money so any areas where you can improve efficiency with tech will certainly benefit any forwarding business. Now is the time to grow and invest in the right new headcount whilst the market is still assessing what to do next you will be able to hire candidates that wouldn’t normally be on the market and to pick up that perfect acquisition that fits with your growth strategy. Even if you want to play it safe and not grow your headcount the most important thing to do is to ensure that your existing team have a regular flow of warm leads so that they can be as effective as possible. 2024 is the year to paint the shop and let the whole industry know exactly what your strengths are and why they should visit your store.

To be the globe’s leading strategic growth consultancy for the freight forwarding industry.

Forming valuable partnerships with our clients and offering them an effective growth strategy at any stage of their journey.

Headford... Your Strategic Growth Partner

Director’s summary

Welcome to the 2024 Headford Group newsletter.

One certainty in the forwarding industry is that nothing stays the same. Despite this, the macro, and microeconomic challenges we face today seem suspiciously familiar – international tensions punctuated by Iran and Israel’s recent skirmish, the quest to find the talent needed to scale your business and an economy that is hovering between the red and the black.

You will have seen it all before no doubt – and if you’re new to the industry and business, uncertainty and challenge will grow tiresomely familiar. I am mentioning this because after twenty-two years serving the industry you get hardened to the challenges and learn that you need to keep on going, no matter what. The challenges still hurt but you learn to control the controllables and focus on being the best you can be and surviving the downturns and thriving in the upturns.

It means being consistent and relentless. This approach hasn’t changed at the Headford Group in twenty-plus years, despite the challenges I have mentioned above. We continue to invest to be the best and the first half of 2024 has seen a record number of mergers & acquisitions advised on by Freight Mergers, more and more industry leaders attending our FORWARDER events, office-loads of candidates placed by our recruitment division and the FORWARDER family continuing to go from strength to strength.

In this newsletter, you can find out more about everything that is going on at the group and much more.

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford Group

Eastern delights

I recently attended WCA Worldwide conference in Dubai to meet with clients and prospects. Dubbed the largest and most important logistics networking event of the year, I was impressed by the sheer scale of the conference and how smoothly it all ran.

With numerous exhibition halls all bustling with visitors and exhibitors alike, as well as the renowned One-on-One meetings, it is easy to see this colossal event has been organised by logistic experts. For this, the 13th annual conference, Dubai was chosen as host city. It is one of the world’s fastest growing freight hubs, so it was the perfect location for this event. It was huge and demonstrated the size of the opportunity globally for us as a group and the industry. We are actively looking to continue to grow and invest in Dubai. The UK is a huge market but we’re always thinking globally too.

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford Group

+44 (0)117 248 2623

Department summary

The Recruitment business dropped a little in 2023 as the market was assessing what the new norm looked like which gave us a chance internally to assess who was strong enough to hit the phones and hunt rather than farm.

We have recently changed our CRM to improve our efficiency and speed of delivery when filling vacancies and with the clever use of AI we believe we are improving daily. We introduced Danny Ahern to the senior management team in January who has hit the round running and will be opening an office in the midlands for us this year. Danny has been given a budget to hire 10 recruiters over the next 12

months and is leading the charge currently on the Headford Recruitment team. We have also just hired Nick …. to head up the Forwardingjobs.com teams efforts across Europe and Nick is based in Yorkshire and will be building a Leeds office for us. The US Teams are headed up by Kerry Dusi on Headford and Mark Jury on Forwardingjobs.com so we have a Red and a Blue team offering you unrivalled service levels when you give the Headford Group a vacancy to fill. Now we have our leaders firmly in place we can rebuild as the industry gets set for growth in 2024/2025…

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford Group

Your strategic growth partner

Short of actually moving freight, we, as a group, cover quite a few bases in the freight industry. Each of the group’s divisions is 100% specialist in what they do. We are experts in every stage of the ownership of a freight company, from initial purchase, to organic growth and team expansion, to marketing the business, to growth through mergers & acquisitions, to the eventual sale of your company. If you are passionate about growth and would like some assistance, please contact one of the offices or divisions above.

info@headfordgroup.com Opened in Doncaster & Rugby  Implemented a new CRM  Profit centre manager reward scheme  Shares & PRP bonus for high achievers 

The great thing about working with the Headford group is that we are far from a one trick pony. We offer a comprehensive range of services to assist you with your Talent attraction, Marketing needs and Acquisition strategy.

The group offers a loyalty incentive so if you would like to ramp up your marketing why not use us for recruitment and we will allocate some of your spend to marketing for you.

Rewarding loyalty Quid

pro quo

M&A

Use us on a buy-side or sell-side mandate and earn credit towards advertising.

Recruitment

To find out more please contract Craig Headford our CEO who likes to personally look after companies that want to partner with the group and benefit from all of its growth offerings.

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford

Group

Exclusive vacancy earns you uncapped £-for-£ credit towards advertising.

Media

A half-hour marketing review with the person responsible for your marketing budget earns you a free ticket to the next FORWARDER event.

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+44 (0)117 248 2623 info@forwardingjobs.com

Forward(ingJobs) into 2024

ForwardingJobs, a key division of the Freight Solutions Group, stands as a distinguished global recruitment company and premier job board serving the freight and logistics sector. Our mission is to facilitate seamless connections between businesses and top-tier talent across various roles, ranging from import coordinators to seasoned sales executives. Whether you’re seeking to fill positions or explore career opportunities, our dedicated team provides expert guidance and support every step of the way.

Moreover, ForwardingJobs is committed to constant innovation, aspiring to become the ultimate job board for our clients. Our vision is to establish the most exceptional global job board within the freight industry, featuring stateof-the-art technology tools meticulously tailored for freight recruitment needs.

As we set our sights on significant growth in 2024, we’re actively seeking exceptional recruiters and expanding our technical teams to enhance our product offerings. With anticipated recruitment surges in the UK, US, and Europe, ForwardingJobs is poised to meet the evolving demands of the industry with unwavering dedication and expertise.

Mark Jury – Principal Recruiter, ForwardingJobs

Welcome to the team

Nick McNamara will be joining as a principal consultant with a view to building a 10 person Leeds office specialising in the UK and European Freight Forwarding space.

Kully Samra will be joining in the West Midlands area and looking to build the USA operations team across key states in Amercia.

Global industry ...global service

ForwardingJobs, the new-look recruitment agency, has developed into a leading brand within the freight and logistics industry. Dominating in territories across the US & Europe, achieving unprecedented success.

The team of experienced search consultants use revolutionary ways to attract and represent the best talent in the industry. This results in record revenues, enabling growth at a fast pace.

work staff

Recruitment Mergers

Department summary

In the last 6 months the M & A business has seen a significant increase in deals completed and new business since Craig stepped back into the M & A team.

He was getting a little frustrated with progress so felt it was time to give the division his full attention. In Q1 of 2024 we sold five freight forwarding companies and Craig is now very much leading the charge in terms of new business.

We welcomed the first of our graduates to the M & A team from Bristol University, Wil, who is adding significant value to the team and supporting Craig. Jolie Dixon also stepped into a sales support role for Craig in charge of contracts, NDA’s and building up short lists of prospected buyers for Craig to introduce our sellers to. The department is looking to grow to 10 over the next 24 months as we firmly establish ourselves as the globes leader in selling privately owned freight forwarding companies.

Welcome to the team

After a successful internship at Headford Group, I snapped up the chance to work for Craig.

I am currently a student at the University of Bristol, reading BSc Economics and Finance and have always had a passion for Corporate Finance with a focus on M&A. With this, I believe that Headford Group offers me the best start to an enduring career in this industry. When I’m not buried in books or crunching numbers, you’ll catch me tinkering with cars, hitting the gym, training Ju Jitsu or even watching the rugby.

I’m ready to bring my passion for M&A and my knack for getting my hands dirty to the Headford Group team.

Get in touch... wil.reeves@freightmergers.com wil.reeves@recruitmentmergers.com

Freight Solutions

FORWARDER magazine

FORWARDER directory

FORWARDER network

FORWARDER events

FORWARDER app

Department summary

Experienced sales leader joins Headford Group

James Morgan has joined the Headford Group as Sales Director.

An exciting appointment for the group, James has accumulated over twenty years of sales experience, having worked across B2B Media, transport and logistics and publishing.

A Tottenham Hotspur fan and avid script writer in his spare time, James comments: ‘As soon as I met Craig I was impressed by his vision for the group and the opportunities that exist in this important sector. Whether our directory, membership offering or the magazine – there is a powerful eco-system here that is adding huge value to our customers.’

Craig Headford comments: ‘The combination of James’ experience and the offering we have to support you with recruitment, sales, media coverage and selling your business, will prove to be a powerful one.’

Hi, I’m James, with 16 years of experience in advertising across diverse sectors.

I’ve worked with SMEs to large multinationals, helping them overcome marketing challenges to maximise their effectiveness. In my free time, I enjoy photography, surfing and am a film enthusiast.

James Morgan – Sales Director, Freight Solutions

Painting the shop

FORWARDER magazine has evolved into a networking business, a directory and now a live news feed app. We listen to our clients and engage very closely with them at our networking events to get a thorough understanding of their needs.

The magazine is fantastic for brand awareness and credibility in the marketplace and can be used as an excellent sales tool when visiting clients and competition with the big boys.

The events for market intelligence, meeting people face to face and collecting 20 or 30 business cards every couple of months.

The directory again for credibility and spot quotes and regular enquiries for specific trade lanes where you offer services.

The network to combine all three of the above and be a leading force in the industry.

We genuinely believe we have combined all four to provide you and your team with the ultimate platform for growth.

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford Group

Freight news 

Videos from events 

FORWARDER events portal 

FORWARDER directory portal 

ForwardingJobs portal 

Freight Mergers portal 

Push notifications 

forwarder.events

+44 (0)117 248 2623 contact@forwarder.events

Now for the main event

Fresh look for FORWARDER events

The leading events for the forwarding industry will be getting even better following the launch of new sponsorship options and content.

The most recent FORWARDER event took place at The Castlefield Rooms in Manchester and was attended by over 100 industry leaders and professionals.

To coincide with the event, FORWARDER have launched some exciting new sponsor options which you can find out more about on the website at FORWARDER.events .

It includes a new roundtable option which will bring together 8-10 industry leaders for a topical discussion.

Craig comments: ‘As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we have tweaked our sponsor options to give further value to our partners. The roundtables are proving popular as they allow a sponsor to connect with potential customers and create powerful thought leadership content.’

Oli Ballard – Events Co-ordinator, FORWARDER events

Oli Ballard and Sam Clark have recently joined the Headford Group to support with events and sales.

Both previously worked at Business Leader, where they built the sales team and processes and large events and awards network.

Generating leads in Leeds

Highlights from the FORWARDER event in Leeds on February 8 can be seen at forwarder.events/past-events. Attendees had the opportunity to connect and exchange business cards with potential partners and clients.

The event featured insightful talks on M&A in the freight industry by Freight Mergers and on various digital transformation topics such as sustainability, data, warehouse, and digital security by experts from Shape

Tomorrow, RailX, Pledge, Covalent, Absolute Warehouse Services Ltd, and DRP Insurance Group. There were engaging discussions on innovation in freight with experts from Europa Worldwide Group, Pass Logistics, Walkers Transport, What3Words, and Gerritsen Group. Attendees unwound with music, drinks, and dancing. It was a day full of learning, networking, and fun!

Sam Clarke – Events Co-ordinator, FORWARDER events

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Strength in numbers

We recently launched FORWARDER network into the FORWARDER family of products and services.

Members can select between four options, which give them varying degrees of media coverage, tickets to events, directory listings and access to the Headford Group ecosystem.

As a member you also receive a welcome pack and regular updates on how you are benefiting and what events and features are on the horizon.

FORWARDER members win more business and build a deeper brand connection with potential customers. We’re seeing it day in day out – those that invest to become a member are seeing clear benefits. There is strength in numbers and membership gives companies an added cutting edge.

Craig Headford – CEO, Headford Group

Platinum member badge and mention at all FORWARDER events and on all adverts

Monthly Press Release guaranteed in the FORWARDER magazine or FORWARDER directory, online and e-shot to our database

Up to 10 countries listed in FORWARDER directory with a branded strip advert (or lower number with larger adverts)

Up to 4 FREE tickets for every FORWARDER event

1 filmed presentation at our event or in our offices, or 1 front cover on FORWARDER magazine FORWARDER directory and a write up about your company

A full page advert in the FORWARDER magazine or FORWARDER directory once a quarter

team@forwardermagazine.com

Let’s speak directory

Demand for FORWARDER directory soars.

The FORWARDER directory, which was launched late in 2023 has taken the industry by storm. 2,000 copies hit the desks of the leading figures in the industry at the start of the year and ‘the bible’ for the sector is proving to be a game changer.

Every company you need to look up, every person you need to find, and every bit of information related to the sector is included.

Where do you go to find a dead body? The second page of Google. Obviously online search has value but once you’ve scrolled through the companies paying to be at the top, you can find the answer quicker in our directory. It covers niches and nooks and crannies of the industry that you can’t find online – for example who would be the best person to talk to about logistics to Italy. It’s comprehensive and unrivalled and we’re delighted to see the industry receiving it so well.

Craig Headford – Editor-in-Chief, FORWARDER magazine

A spot of remodelling THE MAGAZINE

We’ve tweaked the publication model within the FORWARDER product family a little.

The magazine will be produced in its full form twice a year, around the beginning and the middle.

The directory will also be biannual and will be printed and distributed to a list of recipients that’s constantly evolving. The first section in the directory is called Directory Dispatches and features a selection of news and features from our loyal supporters, in the familiar format of the magazine.

The regular press releases and features that would previously have been compiled monthly for the magazine are now being pushed to the new FORWARDER app, which is available now on the App Store and Google Play. This means you get the latest news as it happens, straight to your phone.

We feel this is the best way to maximise both efficiency and reach, whilst bringing things bang up to date.