Another member of the John Mason team has attended the FIDI Academy in Brussels. Caroline Mason has been awarded the FIDI Academy ‘Essentials in International Moving’ (EiM) Diploma after completing a week’s intensive course in November of this year.

The course covers all aspects of the international removals industry including ocean freight, air freight, sales, insurance and storage. The course also involved trips to the port of Antwerp and to Zaventem Airport to observe how freight is handled by freight forwarders, shipping lines and airlines.   

FIDI is an international organisation representing over 500 quality removal companies around the world. The FIDI Academy provides quality training for employees of FIDI affiliated companies. The FIDI Academy website also provides reference material for employees including the International Moving Guide.

Caroline now joins two other John Mason FIDI qualified staff, General Manager Noel Briscoe and International Move Manager Amanda Hilton, who have also achieved the Diploma. John Mason are planning to send more members of staff to the FIDI Academy in the future.

A giant iceberg measuring 54 square miles, known as B17B, has been sighted off the South Western coast of Australia. The iceberg is the largest intact iceberg to be sighted in that area for over a century. The iceberg dislodged from the Ross Sea Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica around ten years ago before drifting North.

It is expected that the iceberg will begin to break up into small pieces when it reaches warmer waters, possibly creating hazards for passing ships. A shipping warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and Australian authorities in response to this. The iceberg is currently being monitored by Glaciologists in Australia.

Three members of the John Mason team attended the BAR (British Association of Removers) North West regional Christmas Dinner at The Windmill in Knutsford last night.

The event was well attended and provided an informal way for members to network and socialise together. The Christmas Quiz was enjoyed by all, although there was some heated debate with the quizmaster about the right answers! Unfortunately the John Mason representatives were not on the winning team but at least we weren’t last!

The British Association of Removers is a trade organisation representing over 500 professional removals and storage companies in the UK.

John Mason International would like to wish all of our customers, trade clients, overseas agents and suppliers a very Merry Christmas.

Results from the recent Ernst and Young study: ‘Global Mobility Effectiveness Survey 2009’ have highlighted the problems caused by accidental expatriates to international businesses.  

Accidental expats are employees sent on an overseas assignment or business trip without notifying HR managers or those responsible for global mobility programmes.  Findings of the survey revealed that accidental expats were ranked as the second biggest risk to the company by HR and expatriate managers. Risk areas included budget risks, legal compliance risks, reputation and employment law risks among others.

The survey also revealed that only 20% of companies know their true expat cost. Other key findings included the need to focus on improving assignment administration, cost control and processes.

The survey involved surveying HR managers around the world. 155 global multinationals took part in the survey. The annual survey aims to evaluate the efficiency and success of global mobility departments and to provide benchmarks for HR professionals.

John Mason Management Trainee Simon Mason has helped international removal company Crown Worldwide to achieve their Green Business Certification. Simon is currently undergoing a work experience placement at Crown Worldwide in San Francisco, California. Aside from his role as Customer Service Advisor, Simon headed up a major part of Crown’s application for the Bay Area Green Business Program. As a key member of Crown’s ‘Green Team’, Simon was responsible for preparing for the audits undertaken by local government inspectors.

Alistair Darling announced today in his pre-budget report that the stamp duty holiday in the UK will not be extended and will end on the 1^st January next year.

The stamp duty threshold will revert to £125,000 rather than the £175,000 which it currently stands at. There had been speculation that the new threshold would be carried on until next year but this is not to be the case. This is disappointing news in particular for first time buyers but also to British homeowners struggling to sell their properties and almost all companies involved in the property market.

The Office of National Statistics has announced that the number of people from overseas living in the UK has reached a record high. There are currently 6.7 million people from overseas living in the UK. 

The latest statistics show that the UK population is estimated to reach 71.6 million by 2033 although Immigration Minister Phil Woolas warned against the inaccuracy of predicting population increases, noting that: ‘projections are uncertain. For instance in the 1960s they said our population would reach 76 million by the year 2000. This was off target by 16 million’.

Mike Dann

International Move Manager

From an early age, Mike had always been fascinated by the port of Liverpool which was near where he lived as a young boy. This experience, combined with tales from his father who worked as electrician on-board ships, meant that Mike was ultimately destined for a life in the shipping industry. Mike began his lifelong career in shipping at a freight forwarding company in 1970 which gave him an excellent grounding in all aspects of the transport business. Mike remained in this job for seven years before moving to a higher position in a major shipping line.

Whilst working for the shipping line, Mike initially dealt with bookings, quotations, documentation and transport. Part of his job at this stage was also the role of Water Clerk, which involved looking after the ships whilst they were docked in the port. This experience has certainly given him many funny stories about the savoury and unsavoury characters he met during this time! He promptly worked his way up to become Documentation Manager for the country and eventually became responsible for the Liverpool, London and Felixstowe offices. Unfortunately the shipping line collapsed and so after 18 years at the company, Mike was forced to move on.

Due to his extensive experience and previous title as UK Documentation Manager, Mike easily found another high profile job in the shipping industry.  His next role in another shipping line developed from documentation to bookings and quotations and ultimately he became involved in sales, a role he greatly enjoyed. After five years in this position, Mike felt the time was right for a new challenge and took the opportunity to join international removals company John Mason International.

Mike started working for John Mason in 1999 and since then has been relishing the day to day challenges he faces in the international moving industry. He began as a Move Manager in the private sales department but his experience and personality meant that he was quickly promoted to looking after one of John Mason’s largest corporate accounts. Mike has spent the last eight years working in John Mason’s corporate sales department and is still responsible for some of John Mason’s major accounts. He particularly enjoys the variety of his work and finds it both interesting and challenging.

In his free time, Mike enjoys travelling and had a particularly unforgettable experience when he was caught in Hurricane Ivan in the Cayman Islands in 2004. During that time, he spent three nights in a hurricane shelter before being evacuated to Miami. Although it was of course an unnerving event, Mike typically made the best of the situation and formed a strong bond with the other people in the shelter and the locals on the island which culminated in a large BBQ and party when they were able to leave the shelter!

Gill Allward

International Move Manager

Gill began her career working for haulage company, Gwynedd Shipping, 12 years ago as an Irish Sea Clerk. After six years there, she was looking for a new challenge and decided to look for a job opportunity in the removals industry.  

Gill has worked for John Mason for seven years. She began in the Costings department as a Quotations Administrator. Gill’s excellent communication skills were instantly recognised and she was quickly promoted to International Move Manager in John Mason’s International Private Sales department. Since then, she has progressed to the International Corporate Sales department and is continuing to excel in this role.

With regard to her current role, Gill particularly enjoys the client contact aspect of her job and cites the interaction with customers as one of the best parts of her job. She also particularly enjoys the excitement of working in a fast paced industry as everyday is different and presents new challenges. Gill is committed to professional development and is currently studying for a computer qualification in her spare time.  

Gill has always been very ambitious and is keen to progress to a more senior role within the company. Gill says that she prefers working for a family business as there is a friendly and caring atmosphere at work, with approachable colleagues and managers.   

As head of the social committee, Gill takes a very active role in organising staff social activities. She is typically ahead of the game in this area also – this year’s Christmas party was organised in April!

As a commited fundraiser, Gill is enthusiastic about her charity work and is often taking part in and organising various events. Gill and her colleague Mary recently completed a charity walk in Liverpool in aid of local children’s hospice, Claire House. In her spare time, she also enjoys travel and is currently planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand next year.