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A family affair


When Luke Brown joined Daily Groupage Services in 2014, he had no idea he would be named winner of the BIFA Young Freight Forwarder award five years later


Family is at the heart of Luke Brown’s life. In fact, he initially entered the freight forwarding industry through his father, who was a director at Daily Groupage Services (DGS) where Luke held his first position as an office junior. “My dad was my first teacher,” he said. “He


left school at 16 and started work straight away, and I knew I wanted to do the same. He actually works for DGS now.” Luke joined DGS at a busy time, personally


speaking. He and his (then) fiancée were moving house and expecting their first child, and Luke had been accepted onto a pro golf training course. He still plays regularly, but has never regreted his decision to stick with the job that was, at first, intended to be a short-term position. “I started as maternity cover as import


coordinator at DGS but I enjoyed the job and the company so much I decided to stay, and I progressed to a sales position and then branch manager. “I was quite naïve when I took the branch


manager job, though,” he considered, thinking back over how much hard work has been required. However: “I am very lucky because my boss –


our managing director, Sela Koydengoctu – gave me full control of the office and allowed me to learn from my mistakes. I had to learn, very


quickly, everything about Customs clearance on the job, as well as how to be a manager.” The Dover office has grown from a team of two


to nine, and became operational 24/7 in January this year – a change planned to coincide with Brexit, which Luke said could offer “new avenues” for DGS, which specialises in goods moving between the UK and Turkey.


Brexit “I know a lot of European forwarders and hauliers are worried about Brexit. For us, it is likely to mean extra work in terms of Customs declarations. “There has been a lot of scaremongering, but


the truth is that no one knows what will happen until it happens. We just have to deal with it and help companies as much as we can through the transitional period,” he said.


Luke applies that same duty of care to his


colleagues at DGS and it is that attitude, perhaps, that has contributed the most to his success as branch manager. “I would say one of my strengths is


understanding that everyone is different, and that you have to treat each person individually. We all have a life and issues outside of work and sometimes people need a bit of understanding or time,” he pointed out. In the past, Luke was concerned about how


his youth might be perceived in the industry. He took on the Dover office role at just 23 years old, and admits to having felt a little self-conscious at the apparent gap between his age and his abilities. He soon learnt, however, that his behaviour would win the day. “You can be young, but it is all about how hard


you work and the dedication to your job. Age makes no difference at DGS, which is one of the reasons why I feel so passionately about the company. Plus, if you give respect, you get respect. How you treat people is key.” Luke says he is “devoted” to DGS. Not only


Daily Groupage Services, a sister company of IKRA and Atanak Logistics Group, specialises in UK-Turkey logistics


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has its managing director allowed him ample opportunity to develop his skills and knowledge, he has also found a sense of family among the company’s multicultural staff.


March 2019


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