Rebecca Davies named joint managing director at AKW Global Logistics

Rebecca Davies has been promoted to joint managing director at AKW Global Logistics.

Davies, who was group warehousing director at the firm and has been a board member for several years, has been associated with the AK Worthington side of the business since 1986 (aside from a period with TNT as sales manager from 1988 to 1992).

AK Worthington and Global Logistics (UK) merged back in 2015, having announced their intention to do so a year earlier.

Davies will work alongside MD (now joint) Julian Richards. He will focus on external relationships for the business such as Partnerlink and Palletline, as well as the firm’s sales function, with Davies taking on day-to-day operations.

Tony Worthington, chairman at AKW Global Logistics, said, “Throughout my role as the company chairman and more so since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, I have had the benefit of time to reflect on many parts of the business that I love and cherish.

“One subject in particular has returned to my thoughts day after day and at times night after night, future proofing. We need to continue on our current trajectory, looking after our people, keeping our brand strong and well respected by our customers”.

Davies said: “I am thoroughly committed to the challenge ahead and recognise the board decision as a consistent theme of forward thinking and future planning.

A pro-active and progressive approach to succession planning has always been critical to the stability of service to our customers and employment of our people, which in essence are the AKW Global Logistics’ fundamental priorities”.

AKW Group, parent company of AKW Global Logistics, saw its annual pre-tax profit climb by more than 60%, despite a £600,000 write off, after it delivered better-than-expected sales at its transport, warehousing and contract packaging businesses.

According to the group’s annual results to 30 June 2016, published in January, pre-tax profit rose to £1.5m (2015: £950,146) with turnover up 21.9% in the period to £24.6m (2015: £20.2m).