Start-up London forwarder FSC Oceans, which has just broken through the £1m turnover mark in less than 6 months, is accelerating its growth plan with the appointment of four experienced managers.
Headquartered in Fulham, the business specialises in a variety of sectors including automotive, FMCG, industrial, oil & gas, high tech, retail, drinks logistics and marine logistics. Headed up by experienced and ambitious businesswoman Shatha Aziz, the team has rapidly grown from a handful of logistics experts to stand at 15 staff, with latest recruits including HR Manager Christina Hewitt, Finance Manager Afshin Aminolshari, Telesales and Social Media Manager Huw Williams and Business Development Manager Chris Shiret.
Christina, who has experience working with start-ups previously, said: “I’ve set up HR functions for SMEs in a variety of sectors as well as managing large and complex organisational development programmes for larger corporates – so the role at FSC Oceans appealed to me because I feel I’ve got bags of tried and tested experience to bring to the table.
“What’s great about a start-up is that the pace of the business is so fluid and quick. Decisions are made swiftly and in this environment I can really help the team shape its culture, values and ethos from the beginning. It makes sense to build your employer brand at the same time as building your external brand, and that’s what I’ve been appointed to do at FSC Oceans.
“We’ve set very high standards already for managing compliance, even though we’re a small business, which will set us in good stead for expansion in the coming months and years.”
Also joining Christina at FSC Oceans is Finance Manager Afshin Aminolshari who has been working in finance for more than 20 years and has been fully qualified accountant for many years. He has managed finance across many sectors, such as energy, utilities, retail, FMCG, travel, media, manufacturing and logistics sectors and worked with companies such as Harrods, Thames Water and Hitachi Transport System.
Chris Shiret also joins the team, as Business Development Manager. Chris has worked in logstics for more than 18 years, excelling in building client relationships and understanding their requirements to provide them with the most cost-effective solutions that fit their business.
Bringing the total headcount of new starters to four is Telesales and Social Media Manager Huw Williams, who has been working in logistics and the sales arena for more than 22 years, for companies such as Allport, Uniserve and UTi as well as retailer and fashion brand RI2K London. His focus at FSC Oceans will be developing skills within the sales team and raising awareness of the brand using its social platforms.
Commercial Director at FSC Oceans Alan Hewitt said: “Now that we have crossed some of the early hurdles which start-ups face, such as breaking into the market and making a noise about who we are and what we do and establishing our credentials, the time is right to bolster the effectiveness and stability of our team with some strategic operational appointments.
“Christina, Afshin, Chris and Huw all bring very specific and vital skills to our business – and combined they will help us to win more new clients and service our existing clients to an even higher level. Our USP is simple – we aim to create and implement tailored, streamlined logistics solutions that deliver reliability and efficiency into their customers’ supply chains – and having a HR, finance and telesales expert on board is only going to strengthen and amplify our offering.”
Within just months of commencing its operations, the team has already pushed through the £1m turnover mark and is well on its way to exceeding its £10m turnover goal by the end of 2019 through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
