New Far East manager for Turners

Turners Shipping has appointed Vincent Kwan as route development manager in the Far East. Based at the BDP International Network’s office in Hong Kong, Kwan will be responsible for the southern areas of China as well as the Asia Pacific region. Blain Kondiah, managing director of Turners Shipping, said that the time had come to establish a permanent presence in the Far East. “The supply chain from the East can be complicated at times, and we have to provide solutions that will work for our customers. One of the difficulties is the language barrier and another the geographical distance between South Africa and the Far East,” he explained. Kwan has 21 years’ experience in the shipping industry and is no stranger to South Africa. As sales manager for one of Turners Shipping’s affiliate companies he was responsible for promoting and developing the South Africa/China trade route. He has worked for some of the biggest names in logistics and recently held the position of trade lane manager – Africa. “This expansion into Asia has been planned for some time but we have been waiting for the right person before moving ahead,” said Kondiah. At the beginning of 2011 Turners Shipping joined the BDP International Network as the South African partner in the global logistics and transportation network, which is represented in 120 countries.