A former director general of the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive was honoured by the North West Region of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) at an event held at Cranage Hall Hotel in Crewe last Friday (5 June) when he received the organisation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Ken Swallow, a member of CILT for over 50 years, held the PTE post from 1986 until retirement in 1989 following a professional career spent in local authority planning and transport.
Mr Swallow received the award from North Western Traffic Area Commissioner Beverley Bell who also delivered the keynote address at the annual event. In addition to his professional career, which also included a spell at East Sussex County Council, Ken Swallow has made an invaluable contribution to the Institute holding a wide variety of committee and chairman during his long membership. The award was sponsored by Women in Logistics.
Simon Reynish, current Chairman of CILT North West Region said: 'We are delighted to mark Ken's fabulous contribution to both CILT and to transport in Merseyside. He is a splendid example of the expertise and commitment required by personnel in our industry and which has served the public so well'.
The event also saw the presentation of awards by Beverley Bell in five other categories.
The Student of the Year, sponsored by Triscan Systems Ltd, was Paul Moulton of Liverpool John Moores University. Paul's prize winning work included assignments on freight logistics and home delivery.
The Young Manager of the Year winner was Diane Weir, Chief Executive of Waste Management Ltd. A start-up business in 2002, the company now has a turnover of £6 million per year and employs 25 staff. The award was sponsored by John Roberts Search and Selection.
Peel Ports, which operates a barge shuttling service on the Manchester Ship Canal and the Port of Liverpool, won the Industry Best Practice Award, sponsored by AECOM. A part of their work is the movement, by water, of wine for Tesco.
Great Bear Distribution sponsored the Environmental Improvement Award won by Optare, the manufacturer of battery powered buses. The company, operating in Blackburn and Leeds, now has almost 4,000 of its products in service in the UK, Europe and the United States.
Bill Oakes received the Award for Services to the Logistics and Transport Industry sponsored by White Arrow Logistics. The award recognises a sustained contribution to the success of the industry beyond the call of duty. Mr Oakes combined a career involving work in the container shipping industry with education and lecturing on transport matters.
Bill Oakes was also presented with the CILT Meritorious Award nominated by the CILT North West and North East Region Committees.
The event was attended by over 175 guests, including the Chief Executive of CILT(UK) Steve Agg, and was co-hosted by CILT North West Chairman Simon Reynish and David Jinks, Editor and Publisher of the CILT journal Logistics and Transport Focus.