Chris joined Forward Solutions in March 2022 and has over 30 years of experience in the freight industry.

He started his career at MAT Transport working as an Export Clerk/Supervisor. During his time here, Chris became the company’s Forward Office ‘super user’.

After a 17-year stint at the business, he became an IT Manager at International Forwarding, where he specialised in network and software support.

Chris was eager for a new challenge and wanted to secure a role that was local to his home in Nottingham, which led him to join Forward Solutions as a Customer Success Manager.

His main priorities consist of helping his customer portfolio get the best out of the products, by taking on feedback and optimising their experience. By doing this, he helps to improve the capabilities of the system.

Chris said:

“The freight sector is something I have an extensive amount of experience in, and I am glad I can bring that knowledge to the team at Forward Solutions.

“I enjoy my time here and the different teams work so well together – it’s a perfect dynamic. With the roll-out of exciting software this year, such as Forward Vision, I’m looking forward to seeing what else we can help provide our clients with in 2024.”

In the future, Chris wants to continue helping the team service its existing client base, while also playing an integral role in supporting the company’s growth.

Outside of work, Chris keeps himself very busy: he is a fencing coach in Nottingham, alongside being a touch rugby referee. He is also involved in community allotment projects and enjoys hiking around the countryside.

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Kevin joined Forward Computers in 1998 and has over 25 years of experience in the freight industry under his belt. 

His first introduction to Forward Solutions was when he worked as a Technical Director at Ecotrans Ltd in 1986. The transport and logistics service were one of the first customers of Forward Office, with Kevin becoming hugely familiar with the capabilities of the software during his 12-year stint at the business. 

In March 1988, Kevin was eager for a new challenge. After his experience with the system at Forward, he applied for a position at the company and took on the role of Project and Implementation Manager. In this role, he was provided with his own set of clients to look after. His skillset is focused mostly on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and he created documents for the external and internal use of EDI for a selection of customers. 

After progressing into an Integration Specialist role, he has recently transitioned into a training-focused position alongside Nigel Smith, with the pair looking to share over five decades of their combined knowledge.  

Although he will be helping the internal team and customers with different modules of the system, he will be specifically positioned to ensure that his knowledge of EDI is passed on to them.  

Kevin added: 

“As I have been at Forward for over 25 years, I have seen massive changes in the way the business operates. I used to deal with a lot of face-to-face communication with customers and the internal team, but now I will be hosting training sessions, both online and in-person.  

“I am eager to share my knowledge with our people, especially when it comes down to EDI. The staff at Forward always need to have lots of knowledge of all the systems, but It’s great to be an expert in an area as specific as EDI. It means I can give confidence to the next generation of our staff who are coming through, and we, as a business, will retain this information.” 

Outside of work, Kevin is a huge music fan and aims to attend up to 50 gigs each year! His favourite song is Sweet Little Mystery by John Martin. He is also into lots of sports and is a supporter of Manchester City FC.  

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Nigel, who hails from Maidstone, Kent, joined Forward Computers (as the company was then known) in 1996, before it rebranded in 2021 as Forward Solutions. He primarily looked after Forward’s Southern client base, before he recently transitioned into his new training role.

Before joining Forward Solutions, Nigel worked across numerous firms within the freight sector. He began his career after having various clerical positions at Overseas Containers Ltd, before joining P&O Containers Ltd in 1987, where he progressed to the position of Operations Supervisor.

It was at Oceanlink Ltd, whom he joined in 1990, which led him to discover a new career opportunity. Oceanlink was an existing customer of Forward Computers, and Nigel’s interest in the company was piqued.

He quickly became interested in how the software worked at Forward Solutions, as he worked so closely with it, and as a result an opportunity to join the business as a Project Manager in 1996 became available.

In this new role, he focused on applying the various systems Forward work with to customers across the UK and Europe. He went on to add many other roles and responsibilities in his time at Forward and is about to enter the next stage of his career.

After over 27 years at the company, Nigel is now transitioning into a training role providing training for customers and helping with recruitment and inductions.

Nigel added:

“After being in the industry for over three decades, I’ve seen a huge change in the sector. I’ve always had the mindset to move with the times and it’s so important to be open to new ideas and challenges – I even worked from home before it was fashionable! You must always be adaptive and forward-thinking, and that’s why we are constantly pushing our products forward.

“I am excited to share my experience and knowledge accrued over the years with the team at Forward Solutions, while also recruiting the next generation of IT specialists.”

In his spare time, Nigel likes to spend time with his grandchildren and is a big fan of sports, regularly watching F1, football, cricket and rugby. He has also taken on the mission of carrying out DIY tasks around the house!

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Scott, who is from Belvedere in Southeast London, has worked extensively in the IT sector over the last decade, providing him with a huge amount of industry experience, before he joined the team in April 2022.

Scott kick started his career after signing up for an apprenticeship scheme with a London charity called Skills for Growth, which landed him a job with their partner at the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment. Here, he started as a 1^st Line Support Technician, where he developed a passion for IT Support and gained essential business skills.

After three years of expanding his IT knowledge, the opportunity arose to become an IT Technician at leading logistics firm Europa Worldwide Group, which turned into an eight-year career. Scott rose through the ranks, eventually becoming IT Support Manager.

His focus consisted of not only tech support but supporting the businesses’ own internal software development.

Scott was then offered the position of Customer Success Manager at Forward Solutions, which was the starting point for the latest stop on his career journey.

Within his role at Forward Solutions, Scott’s main priority is engaging with customers and developing an understanding of the support they require. He will resolve their queries, enhance products on behalf of them, and be the reliable communication line between customers, the internal support and software development team.

Scott added:

“I have been working at Forward Solutions for over a year now, and I enjoy the fact that no two days here are ever the same.

“Our software platform is so advanced and intricate, that you are always working on a new part of the system, which is especially true for someone like me who is fairly new to the business. Still to this day, I am working on things that I have never seen before, which I find interesting as it keeps the role fresh.”

Richard Litchfield, Managing Director at Forward Solutions added: “Scott is a highly valued member of Forward Solutions and it is great to have someone of his calibre on the team.

“Having previously worked with him at Europa, I was well aware of his experience and capability to help our business thrive – and he has certainly helped us develop since joining us last year.”

In the future, Scott wishes to simplify and automate processes across the business. Coming from a large enterprise background, he is eager to use these ideologies and integrate them further into Forward Solutions. So far, he has worked with the accounts team to make the expenses process simpler, as well as overhauling the rollout procedure at the business for new customer integrations.

Outside of work, Scott enjoys fishing and playing video games, as well as socialising with friends and family.

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Dan joined the team in August 2022 at our Nottingham headquarters and comes with a rich background of IT sector experience.

After completing his A-Levels, Dan originally planned to head off to university to secure a degree, although these plans swiftly changed after he got in touch with a careers advisor.

Instead, he pursued an IT apprenticeship at his old high school, which gave him industry standard qualifications to help him excel further in his career. From there, Dan became a 2^nd Line IT Engineer at Pall-Ex, a recognised leader in palletised freight distribution, until a career diversion later down the line saw him become a Project Manager at Task Corporation, specialists in bespoke manufacturing of joinery fabrications.

This role provided Dan with skills in managing projects which diversified his portfolio, before he returned to his roots and continued pursuing his passion for IT, gaining a further 6 years’ experience as an IT engineer at two different organisations.

Now working at Forward Solutions, Dan’s role is focused on working closely with Forward Office, our freight management system which is made up of eight different modules which all provide a unique function.

His team works from a technical end, providing the infrastructure and platforms that allow applications to function optimally and effectively, by supporting the rest of our applications, including the physical and virtual hardware.

The main responsibilities within his role consist of designing and maintaining system architecture, monitoring the performance of servers and network devices, utilising Red Hat Linux and Windows environments to provide the platform with software to run on, proving consultancy and technical support for their customers.

Dan added:

“When I joined the team, I felt a strong sense of belonging, which allowed me to settle in quickly. The work environment is great, and I have found myself challenged in all the right ways, enabling me to grow both personally and professionally. The team are highly collaborative, fostering a growing sense of camaraderie, that is enhancing our collective productivity.

“One aspect that particularly stands out is how Forward leverage my existing skillsets, while also providing opportunities to acquire new skills by providing the training I need, which has equipped me with the tools and knowledge I require to execute my role efficiently and contribute significantly to the company’s success.”

In the future, Dan wants to develop his skillset at Forward Solutions to enable him to move into a more senior role, with further ambitions to become a Consultant/Architect in the industry at some point.

Outside of work, Dan keeps busy by focusing on his goals by keeping active in the gym, hiking, playing golf and basketball as well as pursuing other interests like improving his ability to play acoustic guitar, attending gigs and music festivals when they are in season.

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