A Peel Ports employee has been presented with a unique logistics industry award by UK business leader Lord Digby Jones.
Greg Deak, group marketing executive at Peel Ports, was crowned the Multimodal Logistics Champion by the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) at the recent Multimodal conference.
Greg, 28, who is based in Peel Ports’ headquarters at the Port of Liverpool, took part in a one off business challenge putting his skills and knowledge to the test against rivals from other industry firms during Multimodal, the annual three-day logistics industry trade conference and exhibition.
Representing Peel Ports, Greg beat more than 60 competitors in a special edition of the logistics themed educational board game, Business on the Move.
The challenge saw players go head to head to see who could make the most profit in a specially designed speed edition of the game. Playing against the clock, players had 15 minutes to maximise the value of their deliveries by air, land and sea.
The board game has been developed to inspire young people to learn about business and the global supply chain. It provides an opportunity to gain an insight into the world of logistics and supply chains and enhance a player’s key skills at the same time.
Greg was presented with the winner’s trophy by Lord Digby Jones at the Dorchester Hotel, Mayfair, during the UKWA Annual Awards and Luncheon on Wednesday (1 July).
He said: “It was a privilege to be presented with the award by Lord Digby Jones who is one of the UK’s most prominent and respected business leaders.
“The game features real companies which makes playing far more realistic, educational and enjoyable. It is about much more than just moving products from point A to point B. It provides insight into complex business models helps to develop solution based strategies and improve decision making. It’s not until you sit down and think about all of the different steps involved in moving a container from one country to another that you realise how many industries and other businesses are involved in the supply chain.”
Business on the Move was developed by Andy Page and Patricia Smedley, two former teachers, who set up a not-for-profit social enterprise to develop the educational game to excite and inspire 9 to 19-year-olds about business, logistics and the global supply chain.
The educational board game offers pupils a practical insight into the opportunities available in the logistics industry and is currently used in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces worldwide.
Peter Ward, CEO of UKWA, who hosted the challenge in the UKWA pavilion at Multimodal said: “Logistics is one of the largest industries in the UK, contributing more than £75bn to the economy and employing more than 2m people.
“Engaging with students at an early stage to spark their interest and introduce them to the variety of employment options is fundamental to showing them they can have a real future if they go into logistics.
“We hope that by inviting businesses to get involved at Multimodal we will encourage the logistics community to reach out to young people and inspire them to become the future of our sector.”
