UK Warehousing Association Confirms Changes to Board
The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) has announced changes to its management board, as confirmed at the UKWA Annual General Meeting on 9 July. Gary Whittle, Operations Director at Meachers Global Logistics and former Vice Chairman of the UKWA board, takes over the reins from retiring Chair, Mike Thomas. Stepping into the role of Vice Chair is Ian Henderson, Group Head of Property at Associated British Ports.
Other appointments include Andy Browning, Senior Director - Asset Management Commercial Park at DP World London Gateway and Clare Newton, Commercial Director at Warehouse-Space, who both join the UKWA board with immediate effect. Meanwhile, John Maguire of Flexi Narrow Aisle, Duncan Pannell of Aztek Logistics and Mike Thomas, formerly of Delamode Logistics, have all stepped down after many years of valued service as UKWA board members and past Chairs. New Chair
The new Chair of the UKWA management board, Gary Whittle, has worked for nearly 40 years in the logistics industry, in both operational and commercial roles. His unparalleled experience has ranged from managing the full logistics functions of a petrochemical plant to overseeing several general warehouse and operational facilities across the county. In 2000 Gary joined Meachers Global Logistics to take responsibility for its growth through sales and marketing.
His success led him, in 2010, to expand his role to overseeing the operational side of the warehouse and transport divisions, whilst retaining his commercial role and promotion to Commercial Director. In 2024, he was appointed Operations Director, which included the Freight Forwarding division, further solidifying his leadership within the organisation. Gary was invited to join the UKWA management board in 2010 and has held the position of Vice Chair for the last two years.
Commenting on his new role, Gary said: "It's an honour to be appointed Chairman of the UK Warehousing Association. The warehousing sector is at the heart of the UK economy, and I'm proud to represent the many dedicated professionals who keep our supply chains moving. I look forward to working closely with our members, fellow directors and the team at UKWA, led superbly by CEO Clare Bottle, to drive innovation, champion best practices and ensure our industry continues to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape"
Vice Chair Taking on the role of Vice Chair of the UKWA management board is Ian Henderson, who has been Group Head of Property at Associated British Ports (ABP) for the last four years. Prior to joining ABP, Ian spent ten years with Wincanton at Group Property Director.
He is also a board member of Go Southampton and is Chair of the UKWA Property and Planning Advisory Board. Ian has been a UKWA board member since 2020 and says he is keenly anticipating the fresh challenge. "I am delighted to take the role of Vice Chairperson with the UKWA.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board and found the input from our members invaluable. This is a pivotal time for our industry, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to drive progress, foster collaboration and support the growth and sustainability of our sector." New board members
Andy Browning has worked for over 40 years in global supply chain and logistics, working with major blue-chip organisations. His career has seen him has set up operations in locations across the globe within various industry verticals, overseeing warehousing at both origin and destination. His experience spans road, ocean, rail and air, as well as logistics real estate.
This year Andy completed 10 years with DP World London Gateway. Like Andy, Clare Newton is a well-known figure in the warehousing industry. She has spent 35 years in logistics and has held senior leadership roles with major warehousing and logistics companies.
Today, Clare is an independent logistics contractor as well as owner of Love Logistics Ltd. She is Commercial Director for Warehouse-Space and provides business development support to Rackbuy (part of the same group). Clare is also Chair of the UKWA Young People's Advisory Board.
Clare commented: "I look forward to bringing my background in sales, marketing and business development to bear in my new role, supporting UKWA in driving growth and bringing innovative ideas for engagement with the membership."
UKWA CEO Clare Bottle welcomed the new appointees and offered her warm thanks to retiring board members, who she said had offered sterling support and valuable experience over their many years of service.
"I'm grateful for the commitment and hard work of all our board members, who together provide wide ranging experience, along with expert guidance and wise advice," she said. "There are exciting times ahead, both for our sector and for UKWA, and I'm delighted to have the very capable Gary and Ian at the helm, with fresh insights and energy from our new board members Andy and Clare helping drive forward our ambitious agenda for growth."
Transport & Logistics - Driving The Industry Forward