20 Mins With | Sam Phillips, Vice President - Freight Forwarding, Oceania, APAC, DP World
Born in Christchurch and moved to Sydney, like most Kiwis, Sam Phillips enjoyed all sports and has continued playing some golf during his spare time.
His journey in logistics started at the New Zealand Couriers depot next to Lancaster Park, where he worked as a freight consolidator after school. He progressed to a courier driver and then joined a freight forwarder as a truck driver, delivering pallets around the city and completing airport and customs runs.
After that, he moved into an import sea freight operator position in the office, where his forwarding career grew. Today, Phillips is the vice president of freight forwarding for DP World’s Oceania, APAC region.
“As I’ve progressed through different roles and functions, I’ve enjoyed winning new clients, generating revenue and capturing volume. More recently, I have enjoyed creating products, developing teams, and strategically developing the business in the region,” said Phillips.
“All my employers have afforded me new and exciting opportunities, which have only increased since joining DP World four years ago. I’ve been lucky and had excellent managers who contributed positively to my career development.”
When he worked in the construction industry, he was the project logistics manager working on behalf of a beneficial cargo owner (BCO), an importer who took control of a shipment at the destination using their own logistics assets to coordinate products from international factories to Australia and New Zealand.
This involved strict time frames, months, and sometimes years of planning for detailed execution and delivery involving many service providers and, in some cases, government departments.
“In terms of achievements, I’m proud of any time I have been able to assist someone in solving a problem or issue, be it a customer or colleague.”
He added that major highlights of his career would undoubtedly centre around client projects, automated warehouses, prototype vehicle logistics for testing, construction/infrastructure projects, and the deployment of supply chains for global customers in Asia Pacific.
Oceania has become a complex market with established players in each segment of a fragmented supply chain and Phillips was immensely proud of the global coverage that New Zealand logistics businesses have achieved.
DP World’s role in the Oceania market has been to develop and integrate the supply chain, providing a more efficient end-to-end solution for all users by removing manual tasks, reducing double handling, and improving visibility.
Read the full article in the latest issue here
