Lee Prentice (middle) with TC Gerallt Evans and Kate Jennings
Greggs Transport Manager Lee Prentice has been named the first ever Transport Manager of the Year at Logistics UK’s Transport Manager event in Coventry. David Wells, Chief Executive at Logistics UK, said: “After a challenging contest, we are thrilled to present Lee with the title of Transport Manager of the Year 2022. The judges were impressed with Mr Prentice’s passion and dedication for his role, which is reflected in his duties overseeing 120 drivers. This competition truly represents the best of the best and I would also like to extend my congratulations to the rest of the finalists – as it was a very close-run battle for the title.”
Lee said: “I am extremely honoured to be crowned as Logistics UK’s first Transport Manager of the Year. It’s a challenging but rewarding competition and the other finalists pushed me all the way with their determination. I look forward to pushing the boundaries and creating more opportunities next year – being a Transport Manager is constantly challenging but it’s a role I love. I guess you could say that this award is the cherry on the top of the role!”
One of the judges, Martin Candish, Head of Compliance Information at Logistics UK, remarked: “Lee Prentice really stood out to me during the competition due to the way in which he manages risks and efficiency effectively within the fleet.”
Another judge on the panel, Mark Sutcliffe, Operations Director at Marshall Fleet Solutions, commented: “Lee showed throughout the presentation and interviews to have a rounded knowledge of both the legal standards and process required to operate a commercial vehicle fleet, along with some of the wider challenges currently facing the industry around carbon, skills shortages and new technology. This coupled with evidence of enhancing performance in these areas meant he was a clear and well-deserved winner of the award.”
Logistics UK has also announced the winners of its sixth annual Logistics Awards, following a gala dinner at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. With full multimodal representation in the entries from road, rail, sea and air including operators, manufacturers, logistics and supporting industries, the awards – sponsored by Kärcher – recognise and celebrate the companies and individuals that have made a significant contribution to the logistics and supply industry in the past 12 months.
Shortlisted entrants working across all freight sectors were recognised for their outstanding commitment, knowledge and expertise. This year there were several new categories and a record number of entries, with businesses including DFDS Cold Chain England, GB Railfreight, cargo.one and GPS Marine Contractors Ltd scooping awards. Kara Buckley, Sales Executive at DHL Parcel UK was named the Rising Star for 2022 and Andrew Malcolm of The Malcolm Group, who has run his family business with huge success for the past 40 years, was presented with the annual Lifetime Achievement award.
David Wells OBE, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, commented: “Resilience is the watchword which is synonymous with logistics, and you should all be incredibly proud of the work you have done in the past 12 months to keep trade flowing and customers happy. What other industry would quietly cope with all the challenges and continue to deliver when the working environment seemingly changes every week? The fact that shops, schools, hospitals, building projects, infrastructure and factories continue to provide what their customers require is testament to your hard work right across the UK. Our industry is one which I am very proud to work in, and I congratulate all those shortlisted, and to the winners, you really are the crème de la crème.”
The full list of winners of the Logistics Awards 2022:
Most Innovative Company of the Year: (Sponsored by Port of Dover) – CharterSync
Most Innovative Product of the Year: (Sponsored by Workforce Recruitment) – Brigade Electronics plc
Road Transport Operator of the Year: (Sponsored by Logistics UK Fuelcard) – DFDS Cold Chain England
Highly Commended: Tesco
Air Business of the Year cargo.one
Rail Business of the Year: GB Railfreight
Water Business of the Year: GPS Marine Contractors Ltd
Highly Commended: PD Ports
International Logistics Business of the Year: (Sponsored by DWF) – Linker Cloud
Public Services Operator of the Year: Nottingham City Council
Logistics Partner of the Year: (Sponsored by Brigade Electronics) – Bioshield Limited
Highly Commended: GPS Marine Contractors Ltd.
Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year: UK Truck and Plant Group Ltd.
Highly Commended: Maersk
Rising Star of the Year (Individual): (Sponsored by DDC FPO) – Kara Buckley, Sales Executive, DHL Parcel UK
Decarbonisation Champion of the Year: (Sponsored by AIPUT) – McCulla (Ireland) Ltd
Highly Commended: Howard Tenens Logistics
Highly Commended: Tesco
Logistics Technology Provider of the Year: (Sponsored by Board RM) – Exis Technologies
Highly Commended: Dispatch Track
Last Mile Delivery Business of the Year: (Sponsored by The Malcolm Group) – DHL Express UK
Highly Commended: Greene King
Logistics Leader of the Year (Individual): (Sponsored by DHL Supply Chain) – Ian Uttley, Director, Stagefreight
People Champion of the Year: (Sponsored by Kärcher) – Howard Tenens Logistics
Van Business of the Year: (Sponsored by Logistics UK Recovery) – J Murphy & Sons Ltd
Logistics UK Lifetime Achievement Award (Individual): Andrew Malcolm, CEO, The Malcolm Group
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.
