British International Freight Association Annual Report and Accounts ...

During 2008, BIFA built on these strengths
and on its track record as a campaigning
trade association on behalf of its
membership to further develop co-operative
links with other bodies of great importance
to our industry – including HMRC, the
Department for Transport and now the UK
Border Agency (UKBA), as well as trade
associations abroad, such as CLECAT
and FIATA. The European dimension, with
access to the Commission and the World
Customs Organisation (WCO) in Brussels
as well as our contacts with HM Treasury,
have finally enabled us to work towards
the optimum solution with the Insurance
Mediation Directive (IMD).
It has also kept BIFA at the forefront of
the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)
initiative – which will be of increasing
benefit with Customs facilitation as well as
security within the supply chain.
Whilst actively engaged as BIFA Chairman,
my day job has continued as Joint Managing
Director and Chairman of a leading
independent freight forwarder and logistics
company. This means there has been
no danger of losing sight of commercial
imperatives as the recession bites!
BIFA is also a company, which has to
survive and prosper in an increasingly
difficult business environment, to continue
giving good value for money to Members
in return for their subscriptions. I know
that our Director General and his
colleagues in the Secretariat are wholly
focused on this objective and on raising
the profile of our industry.
It has been very pleasing during the last
year to see that training has not only held
up, but increased in volume and quality
of take up by Members. Cost savings
are necessary in the current climate, but
it is also essential in these increasingly
regulated times to continue investment in
training, not just to comply with statutory
requirements but also through popular
courses like the ‘BTEC Intermediate
Award in Multimodal International
Freight Procedures’.
Throughout 2008 and the opening months
of 2009, my role as Chairman has been
demanding but the work has been
rewarding, with measurable progress for
our organisation and useful preparation
for further advances to come. For instance
BIFA will continue to lobby both for better
During 2008, BIFA built
on its strengths and track
record as a campaigning
trade association on
behalf of its membership.
transport infrastructure and at the same
time for sustainability, not least in terms
of minimising environmental impact.
Looking to the future, the challenge
will be to continue our representation
of the international freight and logistics
industry, which is more essential than
ever to boosting our country’s overall
trade performance.
Philip Stephenson
Chairman
BIFA 2008
Turnover up
+7%
at £1,729,223
compared to
£1,614,365
in 2007
BIFA Annual Report and Accounts 2008 5