The Drivers for Change and Inspiration

Meantime Communications CEO Emma Murray spoke about the importance of high-quality journalism within the logistics industry during her interview with the deugro group, a one-stop-shop for complex logistics services. Emma shared how she is encouraging the next generation of reporters through her work with the Seahorse Freight Association, a not-for-profit organisation that rewards great, independent reporting in logistics. Download the original story at the end of this blog.

The Drivers for Change and Inspiration

Have you ever wondered where the news about project logistics comes from? Who is researching and writing? What image does project logistics have, what influence does it have, and how can we influence ourselves?

deugro group had the pleasure of meeting up with Emma Murray, and we share her insight into project logistics communication with you here.

Emma, can you give us a brief introduction of yourself and your professional career?

I am Emma Murray, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Meantime Communications, a consultancy specialising in all things supply chain and logistics.

I set Meantime up in 2008 after a 15-year career reporting on the supply chain and logistics industries, as well as being an editor and managing events, seminars, and awards in this sector.

I was for many years the editor of Heavy Lift and Project Forwarding International (HLPFI) magazine and have a great affinity with that sector, I am a trained journalist, an award-winning editor and the daughter of a foreign correspondent, so it will come as no surprise that I am passionate about supporting great independent reporting, which is why I volunteered to be the Chair of the Seahorse Freight Association.

I also champion diversity in the industry and have co-founded a movement for change called Women in Aviation and Logistics. In another life, I studied Middle Eastern Archaeology and Akkadian at university, although my cuneiform is probably a little rusty these days. I was once an archaeologist working in Syria and Jordan, and have been an English language teacher.

I have lived at one time or another in Jerusalem and Aleppo, as well as Paris and Brussels, where I went to school and learnt to speak French. I am an Accredited Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) practitioner.

I have three fantastic children, one of whom has just embarked on an apprenticeship as a freight forwarder.

What is the Seahorse Freight Association about, and what is its purpose?

The Seahorse Freight Association was founded 61 years ago to bring companies in the supply chain, logistics, and transport industry together with the media who report on them and the Public Relations and marketing professionals who work in the sector.

Seahorse is unique and, whist we started in the maritime sector, which explains the quirky name, we have grown over the decades to become a community of like-minded people working across all modes as well as in supply chain, increasingly tech, and, of course, in PR and Marketing.

Seahorse organises an annual Awards competition to celebrate excellence in reporting, which is open to all journalists globally that write about the industry.

Entries are judged by a panel of 22 professionals drawn from across the glove and including experts from the industry, as well as journalists and PR professionals. The panel last year was 50-50 men and women. The Awards are handed out at the annual Seahorse Christmas party, traditionally held in London, UK.

Seahorse’s other in-person event is the Seahorse Summer BBQ and networking party. We have ambitious plans to kick start a bursary scheme for journalists in the industry, which we will be working on this year.

Seahorse is committed to championing diversity in the industry and encouraging the next generation of writers.

And why do you hand out awards?

We have been organising awards for journalists for more than 30 years and we believe it is important to celebrate excellence as well as to showcase great reporting.

We must not take great reporting for granted, and so it is important to recognise success.

We must energise as a community to actively encourage the Next Gen of writers to join our industry and the awards are one way of doing this.

The Seahorse Community is in a unique position to do just that.

Why are journalists important for the logistics business, and how can the industry support them?

Robust, intelligent journalism keeps us, as an industry, informed and on top of our game, as well as keeping us in check.

It celebrates our achievements and points out our weaknesses – it is a driver for change and inspiration.

As an industry, we should be open to speaking with reporters, sharing insight, and helping them to understand the nuts and bolts of businesses, as well as trends.

The more we share information and give advice, the better the reporting will be, so we should be prepared to share knowledge even if the end-result may not be that our company is quoted in the finished article. Most of the publications that report on us are reliant on advertising and if we want them to thrive, we should be prepared to support them as well by advertising and sponsoring.

What will be the “hot topics” in the logistics industry in 2023 – and beyond?

The logistics industry is in the spotlight as never before because of the pandemic. People have realised just how vital it is to keep supply chains moving. We have also had a chance to demonstrate how agile, flexible, and innovative we can be.

This is all good news and we must make sure we celebrate this success, not least because one of the issues we are all facing at the moment is recruiting and retention. If the NextGen never get to see us, or don’t understand what we do, or what a fantastic industry this is, we can’t expect them to come and work with us.

Sustainability is definitely centre-stage – finding a truly ‘people, planet, profit’ business model is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must, and rightly so.

That means putting effort into finding new ways to fuel transport, as well as making sure we are creating great places to work, and keeping our eyes on the bigger picture when it comes to supply chain compliance.

The regulatory landscape is rapidly changing in-line with this new sustainable business world, and companies will need to find solutions to ensure they keep up.

Tech will have a major role to play in this and it is exciting to see so many new companies disrupting the status quo, unlocking potential and driving new ideas.

Thank you very much for your time and the fresh perspective on project logistics, Emma.