Employee Interview – Angelo

Tell us about your role with IFC and how long you have been with the business.
I have been with the business for 15 years. My role here as Sales Director is to manage all efforts by our sales team, strategically planning and launching new products or services while ensuring customer satisfaction.

What do you enjoy most about working at IFC?
Our team! They are very passionate about what they do. The understand the importance of adding value to our customers which drives a strong culture within the business. The IFC team are supportive of what I do which makes my journey here a happy one.

What drew you to work in the supply chain industry?
After achieving a tertiary qualification in business marketing, where I studied supply chain as one of the majors. I thought International Supply Chain was most interesting as it represented challenges and finding solutions. In supply chain there is no real right or wrong only what is more efficient, that is the mystery that keeps everything so interesting and challenging.

Tell us a little about your background and experience.
I started around 25 years ago straight out of Uni; I got a Sales Executive job at Focus Intl, where in 5 years, I was Sales Manager. The first two years I really struggled to get sales, but for every time I missed out, I always went back to learn why, and I kept on working on my sales craft to improve my knowledge & skills. In years 3 and 4, I was a completely different Sales Executive as I understood the importance of value-adding; I adopted a solution-based consultative approach instead of pushing a meaningless concept. I invested time to build a strong network and saw my career grow, it all turned around from there and within 5 years, I was promoted to Sales Manager. In 2009, I joined IFC Global Logistics as Sales Director and built a strong portfolio of customers, and in 2018, I became a shareholder of IFC Global Logistics.

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered in your experience working in the industry?
COVID-19 by far represented the biggest challenges and yet also the biggest opportunities as sales grew 3 to 4 times during this period hitting record high volumes and revenue.

How do you think IFC differentiates from competitors?
Being privately owned company we are robust and dynamic when it comes to making commercial decisions. We have a stable operational team that are customer orientated. Our IT guys are really switched on developing innovative solutions that add value. In relation to our infrastructure we are asset rich and being independent our customers know we are always willing to go that extra mile for them which we can.

For aspiring professionals interested in a career in the supply chain industry, what advice would you give them to kickstart their journey?
Be prepared to learn & listen.
Work hard and never give up, learn from mistakes, and always remain resilient.
Keep an open mind and always look to finding solutions on how to add value.
Be a team player and take them along the journey with you.

What hobbies or interests do you enjoy pursuing in your free time?
• Spending time with my family
• Fishing & Hunting
• Watching Football

Describe your life’s motto in a few words!
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. Therefore, don’t let yesterday take up too much of today. You will learn more from failure than from success, so it’s ok to fail. …If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. Just be yourself!

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”– Confucius