As Metro accelerates its UK and international expansion, the business has strengthened its People function with the appointments of Paul Davies as Head of Organisational Development, who will be launching a comprehensive suite of new training initiatives designed to support long-term sustainable growth, and Beth Jones to lead global recruitment.

Recognising that operational performance and customer delivery are directly linked to capability, Metro is investing across leadership, onboarding, technology and talent development to ensure consistency and excellence across its global network.

Developing leaders for the future

At the heart of the programme is a newly launched Leadership Development Programme, created to support high-potential colleagues stepping into greater responsibility. The initiative focuses on practical leadership capability — equipping managers to communicate clearly, make confident decisions and build high-performing teams within a scaling global organisation.

Alongside this, Metro will introduce a refreshed Managerial Training Framework for both new and existing managers. The framework ensures a consistent foundation in people leadership, coaching, performance management and structured decision-making across all regions.

Strengthening onboarding for commercial success

With continued growth in Metro’s Business Development division, the company has also launched a dedicated onboarding pathway for new commercial hires. This structured approach provides clear expectations, targeted industry and product knowledge, and practical tools to help colleagues build credibility and deliver impact from the outset.

By formalising the onboarding experience, Metro ensures that new talent integrates quickly and contributes effectively to customer success.

Global consistency through regional investment

To maintain training quality across time zones and markets, Metro has expanded its Learning function by appointing a dedicated trainer in India. This investment strengthens regional support while ensuring that global standards of development and delivery remain consistent.

The move reflects Metro’s commitment to creating a unified culture and shared performance expectations across its international footprint.

Introducing a new learning platform

Supporting these initiatives is the implementation of a new digital training platform. The system provides colleagues with on-demand access to structured learning pathways, compliance modules and self-directed development opportunities — an essential capability for a business scaling at pace.

By combining leadership development, enhanced onboarding, regional training expertise and modern learning technology, Metro is building the organisational strength required to support continued growth.

Expanding talent and opportunity

Paul Davies leads the design and delivery of Metro’s new organisational development strategy, ensuring training initiatives align with the company’s growth trajectory and long-term capability goals.

Beth Jones oversees recruitment across the UK and overseas, strengthening Metro’s global talent pipeline. She also manages the Graduate Programme and the relaunch of the enhanced Metro Mentoring Programme, supporting career progression and knowledge sharing across the business.

Encouraging client site exchange visits

Metro is also encouraging Exchange Visits to client sites. These visits provide colleagues with first-hand insight into operational environments, supply chain challenges and customer priorities — deepening commercial understanding and strengthening long-term partnerships.

Together, these initiatives underline Metro’s belief that sustained global growth is built on capable leadership, skilled teams and a culture of continuous development.

If you, or someone you know, would like to work with a progressive colleague-focused business, please EMAIL our HR Director, Paul Moss, a CV and covering letter.

As part of our continued focus on cultivating a high-performing and inclusive workplace, we recently conducted our latest employee engagement pulse survey. This regular initiative helps us better understand how our people experience their working environment and where we can make meaningful improvements.

We are pleased to report that overall employee engagement has risen once again, with positive trends emerging across several key areas. In particular, we saw improvements in how our people view leadership, their sense of purpose and growth, and the levels of recognition and wellbeing. These results reflect the steps we’ve taken in recent months to enhance communication, support professional development, and foster a culture of appreciation and trust.

We were especially encouraged by the high level of participation, with a 94% response rate—our highest to date. This exceptional level of engagement ensures that the feedback we receive is truly representative and provides a strong foundation for meaningful action.

In addition, we recently conducted a similar survey at our Chennai office in India, where we were once again delighted with the outcome. With a 97% response rate, we saw particularly strong scores in areas such as leadership, growth, purpose, and recognition. 

These findings affirm the strength of our culture across regions and the impact of our local efforts to support and engage our teams.

Following the surveys, we have already begun implementing several new initiatives:

• A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee has been established, bringing together representatives from all our office locations. This group will help shape our sustainability and community engagement agenda, ensuring local insights inform our broader direction.
• We are developing a calendar of team-building and social activities to reinforce a sense of community, support wellbeing, and strengthen internal collaboration.
• A company-wide town hall will be held later this month to share an update on our Q1 performance, strategic focus areas, and market outlook. These regular touchpoints play a vital role in keeping our people informed, aligned, and inspired about what’s ahead.

We know that sustained engagement doesn’t happen by chance. It is the result of consistently listening to our people, acting on their insights, and creating an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.

We remain committed to this journey and to building a workplace culture that supports both individual fulfilment and collective success.

If you, or someone you know, would like to work with a progressive colleague-focused business, please EMAIL Paul Moss a CV, with covering letter.

Last week marked the end of National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals and businesses. However, while the event highlighted success stories recent figures on apprenticeship places paint a concerning picture.

According to the British International Freight Association (BIFA), apprenticeship uptake in freight forwarding has plummeted, with just 146 new apprentices enrolling in the International Freight Forwarding specialist apprenticeship in the last 12 months – the lowest number since the programme began in 2018. This follows a 27% year-on-year decline in 2023, highlighting a worrying trend in the industry’s investment in future talent.

At Metro, however, we are bucking the trend. We firmly believe that investing in people is the key to long-term success, not just for our business but for the freight and logistics sector as a whole. That’s why we are committed to developing the next generation of industry professionals through our robust apprenticeship programme.

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we proudly hosted a special dinner for a selection of our staff currently undertaking apprenticeships across various business areas, including freight forwarding, HR, quality practitioner, and team leadership. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and passion for learning reflect the values we champion at Metro.

Our Learning & Development programme provides structured, high-quality training that not only enhances the careers of our apprentices but also strengthens our workforce. Apprenticeships offer a dynamic and valuable career pathway, blending hands-on experience with academic learning, and we take pride in equipping our apprentices with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to thrive.

By investing in apprenticeships, we are not just shaping individual careers—we are helping to secure the future of the industry. Apprentices bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a hunger for innovation, all of which are critical for businesses navigating today’s fast-changing logistics landscape. In return, we provide them with mentorship, resources, and opportunities to grow.

At Metro, apprenticeships are more than just training schemes; they are a crucial part of our strategy for growth, innovation, and excellence. While industry numbers may be in decline, our commitment remains strong. We are developing talent, fostering leadership, and ensuring that our employees, at all levels, have access to the best training and career development opportunities available.

Together, we are shaping the future of freight forwarding, one apprenticeship at a time.

If you, or someone you know, would like to work with a progressive colleague-focused business, please EMAIL Paul Moss a CV, with covering letter.

As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional value to our customers and fostering operational excellence, we are excited to announce a series of key leadership appointments and promotions, effective 1st January 2025.

These strategic changes will enhance our ability to serve your business with greater focus, efficiency, and innovation, ensuring that we continue to evolve in line with your needs.

Dedicated leadership to drive your success
– Grant Liddell, Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Grant will focus on steering the company’s strategic direction, fostering long-term growth, and ensuring we remain your trusted partner in an ever-changing market.

– Andrew Smith, Managing Director (MD): With a strong track record as Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew now leads our daily operational and commercial activities, ensuring a seamless service experience for our clients.

– Chris Gavin, Chief Operating Officer (COO): Chris will oversee core operations, focusing on efficiency and service enhancements across all divisions to optimise the solutions we deliver to you.

Strengthened operations for tailored solutions
– Tom Fernihough, Operations Director: Tom will oversee key automotive and industrial sectors while spearheading our expanding operations in India, delivering bespoke solutions for a major client.

– Daniel Quinney, Operations Director: A longstanding team member, Daniel will optimise performance across several core operational departments, ensuring consistent quality in every shipment we manage for you.

Focused expertise to serve your needs
– Matthew Weight, Director of Key Accounts: Matthew will lead our Key Accounts team, ensuring seamless service delivery and customised solutions for our most valued clients.

– Rachael Christensen, Trade Manager, ISC, Middle East & ANZ: Rachael will manage our ocean trades in these key regions, negotiating competitive contracts and focusing on your needs for FCL and RoRo shipments.

– Phil Morris, Airfreight Commercial Manager: Phil will enhance our airfreight procurement and pricing strategies, strengthening our commercial capabilities in this critical mode to deliver cost-effective and reliable solutions.

These appointments are designed to align our leadership team with your priorities, enabling us to provide even better service and tailored solutions as we expand globally. With this strengthened leadership, we are positioned to support your business growth more effectively and continue delivering the innovation and operational excellence you expect.

We congratulate our team members on their new roles and look forward to the enhanced value they will bring to you. Thank you for trusting us as your partner in success.