Highlights from CILT (UK)’s Annual Conference

CILT welcomed an array of delegates and keynote speakers to our annual conference at the De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor last week.

Lasting the full day on September 19, before our prestigious Awards for Excellence ceremony took place in the evening, 100 professionals from the logistics, transport and supply chain sector attended.

This year's theme was about 'Mastering Your Competitive Advantage' as attendees were given a unique opportunity to network with fellow professionals, members and interact in engaging workshops and presentations.

CILT (UK) CEO Paul Adams opened the conference along with CILT (UK) Conference Chair and Head of Supply Chain and Sustainability at Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS), Kathryn Charman.

Speakers from Microsoft, Network Rail, Zemo, Wincanton, Green and Blacks, The Cotswold Company and our headline sponsor Maersk, took centre stage at this year's conference.

In break out rooms CILT were also not short of keynote speakers hearing from Heathrow, Transport for London (TfL), Aricia Ltd, BAE Systems, WSP, Zedify and First Bus.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was topic highlighted by many during the conference as the growing industry trend of automation and robotics within the sector is expected to grow.

A key takeaway was an audience-led workshop on the uses of AI in supply chain and operations management, led by Adrian Botham FCILT and Dave Manning FCILT.

The workshop demonstrated collaboration amongst delegates within the industry, as participants split into two groups to discuss the current uses of AI.

Commenting on CILT (UK)'s annual conference, CEO Paul Adams said: "Events like this offer invaluable insights into industry trends and innovations, empowering you to chart a strategic course for your business's future."

"The day was truly exceptional. The diverse gathering of members, coupled with a range of thought-provoking topics and engaging speakers, created a vibrant atmosphere of learning and collaboration."

Kathryn Charman, who has been a CILT member since she was 18 and was on CILT's 35 under 35 2024 list, mentioned it was a privilege to be this year's Conference Chair.

"It' so important to have these types of events because as so many of our speakers have mentioned today, collaboration is one of the best things we do as an industry and CILT events give us the forum to do that.

"We have had some big open discussions and I think on the topic of Mastering Your Competitive Advantage, we've absolutely nailed that today," said Kathryn.

Also championing collaboration was Alison MacLeod, Growth Enablement Manager for Inland Depot at Maersk. Alison delivered an interesting presentation on accelerating decarbonisation of inland transportation, and it was also her first time attending the CILT (UK) annual conference.

Alison said: "What's particularly interesting about CILT events is the breath of people from across the industry it brings together.

"For example, in this room today we have people from government organisations, policy makers, large logistics companies and consumers of logistics as well.

"It is a really good combination of different people all from a slightly different viewpoint but perhaps facing the same challenges."

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