Fortunate Mboweni of Bidvest Panalpina Logistics has been named South Africa’s Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year based on her submission on the challenges of super abnormal loads and the complexities associated with the handling of ultrasensitive cargo. She will now write a dissertation in order to compete in the regional round of the competition (Africa, Middle East), and if she is successful, will be entered as a global finalist into the ‘Final Four’. This will be decided in Istanbul at this year’s Fiata Global Congress. Born and educated in Thembisa, she had no idea of what logistics was all about when she applied for a learnership with BPL after matriculating in 2005. She completed the 18-month learnership in one year and started off as an admin clerk, moving up the ranks to her current position as assistant import controller. Logistics is a field she has grown into, she told FTW, and research for her dissertation – which has involved enormous time and effort – has broadened her understanding of the industry. “I sacrificed the festive season to meet the early January deadline,” she told FTW. And while it was difficult and challenging, it was clearly worth the effort. The dissertation is now a work in progress as she further refines the information in preparation for the next step – the regional round. CAPTION Fortunate Mboweni … deserving winner.
