The Logistics Institute

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Allan Dickie, P.Log.

Vice President, Operations
Schenker of Canada Ltd.

TLI: What are your background and qualifications?
Allan:   Born in Scotland, I spent several years in Freetown Sierra Leone, where, travelling to and from Freetown by ocean vessel, my first interest in transportation emerged.
             In the UK, I obtained my AICS (Associate Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers) qualifications, and further obtained an Industrial Marketing Management Diploma from BCIT in Vancouver. I also have a B.Comm. from Simon Fraser University.
            Other recognized qualifications, in addition to the P.Log, include a CCS/QCB, FIATA and IATA, certificates in DGR goods handling and Freight Forwarding.

TLI: Walk us through your career journey. Did you plan this career or happen into it?
Allan:   On leaving school in Glasgow I initially tried to pursue a career as an officer with the Royal Navy, only to find out I was colour blind. I started to work for a small ship owner in Glasgow as a trainee shipbroker/charterer, where I was able to spend six months at sea learning the practical aspects of ship management.
            From Glasgow, I took a position with a general cargo ship owner in London and Felixstowe, responsible for cargoes to and from France; again, I was lucky to be able to pursue my passion for ships and shipping - travelling many times to and from France on our company’s vessels.
             I then moved to Southampton, and was one of the early employees of a new container ship owner - Dart Container Line. Dart operated a liner service to and from European ports to Canada and the East Coast USA and asked me to relocate to Montréal Canada for a few years, which I did, before being asked back to London. After six months in London, I decided to relocate back to Glasgow, and open a steamship agency, serving N America, and Europe.
             The desire to come back to Canada, and my pursuit of new transportation challenges, took me to Vancouver and Schenker of Canada where I started my career as a Freight Forwarder.

TLI: What is your current role and what are your responsibilities within this role?
Allan:   I currently am VP Western Region operations for Schenker, and in this role I am working with colleagues and with the operating business units in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, assisting with the managing of the branch P & L and sales.

TLI: What kind of company is Schenker of Canada?
Allan: Schenker of Canada is a true global logistics provider, freight forwarder and customs broker.

TLI: How has the business changed since you joined?
Allan:   Each office in Canada was originally its own Profit and Loss centre, and as such all the branches were very autonomous and independent. Now through enhanced automation and IT solutions the company is much more integrated and many functions have now been centralized.
            Globalization of providers and customers has also had a major effect on our business.

TLI: How has earning the P.Log. Certification impacted your career - has it made you a more competitive candidate in the logistics supply chain field?
Allan:   The P. Log certification gave me the impetus to continue with my own further education, and it certainly has been rewarding to see the continued growth with new members coming into our industry.
             Within Schenker of Canada we have a large number of our employees with the certification, and I am certainly proud to have been one of the first to obtain the P. Log certification.

TLI: How does the training received from the Logistics Institute complement other training you have received?
Allan: As I mentioned in the previous question I have found the training from the institute fuelled a desire to continue with education, and now I have become very selective in what courses and programs I attend to enhance my business skills.

TLI: What is the most challenging aspect of your work? What strategies have you developed for tackling that challenge?
Allan:   I would have to say, being a good manager of people is extremely important. It seems this statement has been around forever, but actually being a good manager, I have learnt, is easier said than practiced.
             I have always liked to lead by example; I also like to be available as much as possible to my colleagues. In Schenker my colleagues have the opportunity to evaluate managers with internal surveys, and acting on this valuable feed back is certainly a strategy for change which I try to practice.

TLI: Would you recommend logistics as a career choice?
Allan:   From my own experiences, very definitely. Now I believe many more business skills are required, and with the recognition of the Logistics Institute as a professional certifying institute, new entrants to logistics can be exposed to our industry and all its components that much sooner.

TLI: The P.Log. community is a global community of Professionals. What would you like to see your peers doing to give back to the community and develop the P.Log. brand further? Any concerns that you would like the global P.Log community to address?
Allan:   Having I would like more professionals to be available to the educational sector, talking to those interested in our industry. I would perhaps also like to see a more systematic graduation process from say CIFFA or CCB programs, then going onto earning the P. Log.
             I would like the global P. Log community to make sure the “P. Log” designation does not weaken through different countries’ administrations.

TLI: Success factors?
Allan:   My success, in part, is having worked with some great companies. And many wonderful colleagues.
              Always leading by example, and a continual desire for growth and learning.

TLI: Favourite words to live by?
Allan:   Enjoy what you do.
             Learning never stops.
            Treat others as you would like to be treated.