for good
Employee Ownership
One Year In
INSIDE
Supporting our local community
Creating the workforce of the future
Decarbonising supply chains
The world’s largest employee-owned logistics business.
We know a better way, the Cardinal way. t 0345 340 4674 cardinalgl.com We know a
Leaders in logistics, we are an award-winning business offering highly engineered supply chain solutions, 3PL services, internet fulfilment, global freight forwarding and specialist customs support. We are employee-owned, powering our people to achieve more, inspiring them to deliver exceptional service. Our experience and expertise help our clients succeed and they are always at the heart of our decisions.
Welcome
When we review business impact, I believe we all have a responsibility to entwine positive initiatives within our decisionmaking process. From day one of starting Cardinal Global Logistics and later Far Logistics, I’m proud to say that people and community have always been a priority to our leadership team.
More recently environmental initiatives have taken a central role as we all become more aware of the carbon emissions global supply chains contribute to climate change. Like many, this area has proven more difficult to embed as there’s multiple topics to understand and we’re currently on a steep learning curve to implement both internal programmes and continue to create methods to support the decarbonisation of our customers operations.
As part of our commitment as a business to give back Cardinal Partnership, the parent company to our group, transitioned to employee ownership in 2023. As we celebrate our first year of being employee owned and outline our ongoing focus for our second year, we felt it was important to be transparent on our journey. This may help to educate and inspire other organisations to move forward on similar paths. Hence why we have launched ‘Force for Good’, our bi-annual publication to share our experiences and create opportunities to strengthen industry wide collaboration on core topics.
Please reach out to share your thoughts on our first issue.
Brian Hay CEO bph@cardinalpartnership.uk
Celebrating one year
Last year Cardinal Global Logistics and Far Logistics, took the bold step of uniting as an Employee Owned Trust (EOT), under the newly formed Cardinal Partnership. One year on and the journey to date has been one of significant learns and gains.
As we move into H2 of our second year, being the largest EOT within the global logistics industry, the team now hopes to share with likeminded leaders their experiences and inspire other businesses to consider adopting the same route.
Brian Hay, CEO explains: “Adopting a true EOT model that engages one team, empowers multiple voices and drives future growth has been the catalyst for us in moving forward productively and positively for the past 12 months. EOT adoption is dependent on creating acceptable change and that in itself is never an easy journey for all, but the enthusiasm from our people now fondly referred to as our partners and the determination to make our new model work has been truly inspiring.
“We have always been transparent about our performance, planning and strategy but this was largely a one-way conversation. The engagement we now enjoy with our partners is very much two-way, with all the benefits you would expect of a more collaborative working environment.”
One Motivated Team
Cardinal Partnership can confidently state it hit the ground running. With ambitious plans, clients have continued to benefit from a service delivered by a highly motivated, productive and ambitious team, with client feedback 100% positive.
The first Partner Satisfaction Survey was delivered in Q1 2024, primarily to seek honest quantitative feedback and create a baseline to measure further improvements. Results were extremely positive. An overwhelming majority (84.2%) felt that the overall culture and atmosphere at Cardinal Partnership was positive and supportive and more than 84% of responses highlighted they were
either happy or very happy at Cardinal Partnership.
Employee engagement and ensuring the leadership team were listening to the rest of the business has been the main priority for the first year. The ‘Partners Forum’ was introduced to empower all employees to voice their opinion and contribute to planning, Made up of 8 partners from across the business, regular meetings are held with a Trustee and Director. The forum has already led to a new healthcare programme for all partners, enhanced holidays provision and revised financial incentives.
Mike Childs, Head of the Partners Forum explains; “I’m thrilled with the energy of the Partners Forum. By listening to our partners on matters of health, wellbeing, and career longevity, we’re further enhancing an already established culture that values them. It’s given our partners a voice, like the one that led to our enhanced annual leave policy.
“By prioritising well-being, length of service, and values-driven rewards, we’ve creating an even happier, healthier partnership. It’s inspiring to see the positive impact we have had on our partners, and this translates to a more successful business. We’re still learning but it’s been a great start.
Force for Good
Our second year has continued to challenge us all in the right ways and provide ongoing rewards. Being employee owned is helping us to create a sense of purpose that will benchmark the partnership as one of the most admired in the UK. As such, going into 2025 we are one united team with a clear focus to continue to be a ‘Force for Good’.
Our societal programme remains strong and will continue to positively impact communities around the world. Our environmental journey has started with real conviction and we will continue to share and inspire as we strive to embed a clear long-term plan of activities.
MILESTONES
APRIL 2023
The Cardinal Partnership Employee owned business formed, by Cardinal Global Logistics and Far Logistics.
AUGUST 2023
The Partner’s Forum formed. First meeting held.
OCTOBER 2023
The Cardinal Partnership Foundation formed. First charitible contributions agreed.
DECEMBER 2023
First issue of Partner’s Review published. Giving greater transparency and insight to all Partners.
APRIL 2024
First Valued Partner Awards announced. Rewarding Partners nominated by their peers, for outstanding work
AUGUST 2024
Partner’s Forum announces first wave of improvements and benefits from Partner suggestions.
NOVEMBER 2024
Issue One Force for Good publication released.
Do
Do you feel that there are su cient opportunities for professional development within the Partnership?
“To be a successful employee-owned business, our partners all need to feel like we’re pulling in the same direction – and, more importantly, that we’re improving the lives of everybody we work with.”
Are you satis ed with the feedback and recognition you receive for your work contributions?
Louise Embury, Head of People and Culture at Cardinal Partnership
Employee Ownership Highlights
How would you rate your current work-life balance?
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This year we thought it was important that we check-in with all our colleagues to understand how they felt, and those results created a baseline for us to measure against as we continue on our journey. Overall, we were extremely pleased with the feedback shared and we’ve created an internal process to ensure all opinions feed into future planning.
How happy are you at the Cardinal Partnership?
What makes us tick
The Cardinal Partnership is made up of Cardinal Global Logistics and Far Logistics. Both these companies were created to reshape the future of global logistics so that it benefits everyone – not just our clients, but every employee that works for us and the stakeholders local to our regional offices.
In our ancestral home of Wythenshawe in South Manchester, our success has created hundreds of jobs and supplied nearby charities with funding, resources and awareness. And as we’ve grown, this approach has been applied the world over – with charitable causes launched in the likes of Hong Kong, Vietnam and South Africa all in the name of the Cardinal Partnership.
But our culture wasn’t created in a vacuum. It is a byproduct of our core brand values. These are the principles that illustrate what we believe in and illuminate how we work together.
Be brave by encouraging each other to make bold decisions.
Be inclusive to help each other belong to something extraordinary.
Be creative and inspire each other to think differently.
International business operating locally
Our head office remains in Wythenshawe, the childhood home for foundling members. As such, a key principle of the business has always been to support local communities by establishing work opportunities and ‘Recruiting local’. This belief has extended to all 14 of our UK offices, where we are proud to help stabilise local household finances.
We take that approach further by collaborating with local organisations to support opportunities where businesses work together to deliver education programmes into schools and regularly attend local business networking events.
BREAKDOWN OF UK EMPLOYEE COMMUTE DISTANCE
“This is what the modern workforce needs; patience from employers allows them to find roles that match their skill set. It may be that some apprentices are far more interested in careers in IT and technology. This is something all industries, not just logistics, should cater to.”
Craig Poole, Managing Director at Cardinal Global Logistics
Alongside Wythenshawe business charity BW3, we deliver interactive sessions at local schools.
Supporting our next generation
Hiring the same kinds of people leads to a homogenous culture and a talent drought. That’s why our apprentice programme is designed to bring diversity into every office, across our buildings, including the board room.
Tom Wadsworth is one such employee who came to Cardinal through the apprentice scheme and was recognised for his unique insight.
Introduced to the business in 2014, Tom was one of the first mentees to work alongside our CEO, Brian Hay. Working alongside our training
provider, Tom successfully completed his NVQ Level 2 & 3 in supply chain warehousing. His training supported him in developing skills in all aspects of warehousing.
In 2017 Tom was promoted to Warehouse Supervisor in recognition of his contribution to operations and commitment to the business, having demonstrated the attitude and skills required for a successful career in management.
In contrast, Keira Greenough, an individual nominated for her hard work within our customs office, is at the start of her apprentice journey. Keira joined our apprentice scheme in October 2023 shortly after leaving school. The scheme covers all of freight forwarding, however the working aspect of her apprentice is solely customs account management, and it’s here she has excelled.
With an immediate flair for the work, Keira has spent the last 12 months not only learning the ropes but also supporting, and even leading, on
big accounts. One such account, Keira recognised inaccuracies from the client’s side that were leaving them at risk. Taking it upon herself to investigate and then resolve these areas she not only protected the Cardinal Partnership but the client as well.
It’s for this reason that she is not only a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year category at the BIFA Awards, but also now largely responsible for the entirety of our Aberdeen clients. It’s this level of passion, and determination, that deserves to be recognised.
Creating the workforce of the future
We’ve recruited over 75 apprentices in the past 10 years, many of whom have gone on to be managers and senior members of staff.
They bring a fresh perspective and a unique way of thinking to our organisation, continually delivering innovative ways to meet our clients’ needs. In return they receive a fantastic introduction to the world of work (with the option to spend up to six weeks in various departments), gain experience
in different aspects of the logistics industry (from customs declarations to forklift training), and achieve nationally recognised qualifications.
We do this through the Cardinal Academy, the education wing of our business that works to train apprentices as well as upskill staff in existing roles. This creates a culture of constant improvement, which is where you get the buy-in from lifelong logistics professionals.
Tom Wadsworth, Warehouse Supervisor
Keira Greenough, Apprentice
Transforming the lives of our people
We take for granted the working conditions that we are legally entitled to in the UK and Europe. And, too often, international organisations are accused of leveraging the lower staff costs of nations where working standards aren’t enshrined in law.
We don’t believe in that. We believe our company culture should transcend borders and benefits should be shared across the Partnership. Concepts like charity days, living wages and social activities are every bit as important to our international sites as they are here in the UK.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS OFFERED TO OUR PARTNERS
Hybrid working policy
Day off for child’s first day at school
Company loan scheme Fund assisted professional qualifications
Paid volunteer days
Long service awards
Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
Birthday day off
The driving force behind these benefits is our Partners’ Forum. While they weren’t responsible for every benefit we have today, it is their job to ensure the benefits we do have continue to support staff in a way that is meaningful and delivers measurable change.
We want every member of our community, and communities beyond, to feel able to work here. Our staff should not have to balance the needs of their family against work responsibilities or sacrifice significant life events to meet deadlines. It’s just not how we work.
So to ensure that’s always the case, the Partners’ Forum routinely assess the value behind these offerings with satisfaction surveys and raising them at the forums themselves.
The inaugural meeting of the Partner’s Forum, August 2023
Introducing our new committee
We established a charity committee in 2009, giving our colleagues the opportunity to actively participate in our community work.
For almost 15 years there has been a charity committee working to deliver a positive impact within the heart of Cardinal. Similarly, for as long as Far have existed, each branch has had the autonomy to donate to the good causes close to their hearts.
And now that both our cherished brands are working closer together, it makes sense to combine these efforts so that we can change more lives with greater resources all under a new name, the Cardinal Partnership Foundation
Previously we donated across a range of good causes, whether they were suggested by clients, colleagues or stakeholders elsewhere. This had led to us supporting schools in Africa, hospitals in Manchester and schools nationwide.
Moving forward, we’d like to continue with the level of this goodwill but donate larger sums to a more select list of charities. We feel that by doing this, Partners will have a better understanding of what the Cardinal Partnership’s donation actually delivers for these charities.
As an employee-owned organisation, it’s important we demonstrate that businesses can be a force for good. Hopefully this approach can prove that.
We look forward to revealing all the good causes we’re set to support for 2024, as well as the opportunities Partners will have to fundraise.
As ever, we still hugely encourage any of our colleagues looking to support a cause close to their heart – that isn’t one of our select charities – as we’ll promote them on People First and assist them in their funding journey.
If you know of any worthwhile causes that would be of interest to our Partners please send details to the Cardinal Partnership Foundation by emailing charity@cardinalpartnership.uk.
Projects we’ve supported
In 2024 alone, our charity work has allowed us to support schools in Tanzania, community projects in Wythenshawe and street donations in Ho Chi Minh. Below are just a few projects we supported last year.
Beyond Child Smile
Situated in Tanzania, the familybased charity Beyond Child Smile works to boost education across the region through two initiatives: building and renovating schools, and teaching children to read. A close friend of Cardinal’s, Hayley Showman, wanted to raise funds that would deliver meaningful support to the cause. As Cardinal shares the same goal of improving children’s literacy, we thought a donation would be an excellent use of our resources
Annie Mals
To help minimise the impact of human activities to our planet in the future, we believe we all have a responsibility to support the knowledge gap in our next generation. Inspiring school children to consider behavioural changes as they continue to learn about the world around them, is an important part of our societal focus. The writer Emily Samuels has written a book ‘Freddie the Jellyfish’ that discusses the subject of ocean pollution in a fun and engaging way for 5 to 8 year olds. We purchased over 1,000 books which have been donated to local schools and hospital trusts.
Haveley Hey Primary School
Haveley Hey Primary School is one of the closest schools to our UK headquarters. It stands as a reminder to our commitment to Wythenshawe as well as a means of supporting the next generation. In 2023 we gave a record donation to the school so that they were able to regenerate their playground.
Turkey & Syria Foundation
It’s now been over a year since massive earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, devastating lives. Working within supply chains, we know how difficult it can be to reach the most desperate when traditional routes and trade lanes are inaccessible. It’s for this reason we felt it necessary to provide a substantial donation to those on the front line of this crisis.
Your green partner of choice
As we speed towards 2025, sustainability is fast becoming a priority for organisations. Not only is being impact conscious the right approach to adopt, but also because sustainable thinking is creating commercial advantage for business leaders across multiple sectors.
Without legislation driving responsible change, consumers have become the core stakeholder demanding we all implement better ways of working across our value chain. A recent McKinsey survey stated that 66% of respondents say that they consider sustainability when they make a purchase, aligning themselves with brands that are compatible with their values and priorities.
Operational
excellence and cost efficiency ensure that companies remain competitive and simultaneously help drive sustainability forward.
At Cardinal Partnerships we take our responsibility seriously in ensuring our planet is capable of supporting our next generation. As a global logistics provider the most impactful way of supporting the future of our planet is by working closely with our customers to promote sustainable logistics.
Our customer’s logistics carbon footprint will in the main sit within scope 3 emissions as non-asset owned. Scope 3 refers to all indirect emissions that occur in the upstream and downstream activities of an organisation and are the most difficult to measure and reduce.
Helping to decarbonise supply chains
How does climate change affect our supply chain and what climate footprint do our products leave behind?
More and more companies are facing questions like these. As a logistics manager, you’re in a unique position to have a direct impact on your companies Scope 3 emissions and reduce long-term operational risks by exploring and implementing sustainable initiatives.
Beginning your journey of decarbonisation is a long-term commitment to sustainable practices. At Cardinal Partnerships we understand the importance of data, both when reporting on supply
chain performance and also meeting legislative requirements.
LEDA, our proprietary tracking and reporting software available to all Far Logistics and Cardinal Global Logistics customers, can provide you with carbon related data for all shipments at no additional cost. For all bookings you have access to GLEC accredited GHG emission data which provides an overview of any areas to review and our quarterly business reports enable your team to consider how to further reduce your emissions in the future.
Sustainable logistics
Transport accounts for a quarter of green emissions across Europe. The transport sector therefore plays an essential role in the climate crisis.
The European Environment Agency predicts that logistics will account for up to 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 unless effective measures are taken.
Sustainability in logistics refers to actionable steps a business can take to decarbonise their supply chain and consider the wider environmental impact of those processes. The transport and logistics industry is undergoing a transformation, which presents an opportunity to implement a wide range of sustainable solutions for both short and long term gain.
Kelly Hobson, Sustainability Advisor and Vice Chair of BIFA Sustainable Logistics Policy Group explains; “Sustainable Logistics is no longer an opt in, it’s a necessity. But it also represents an opportunity to innovate and transform your business. Often when businesses begin their sustainability journey, exercises will highlight inefficiencies that can improve both environmental impact and bottom line. I always recommend start your journey by establishing core data sets that represent one truth across your operations, these will define your most challenging areas and also allow you to track ongoing performance.”
From GHG emission data to considering new sustainability led initiatives that deliver immediate and long-term gains, our team is here to support you on your decarbonisation journey.
In Issue two we will be exploring three supply chain trends effecting sustainable performance: • Access to Data • Modal Shift • Renewable Energy
Our company structure
Our strategy has always been to have a local presence across all of our areas of operation. This has led to us opening offices around the world, creating a global infrastructure that supports a vast range of supply chain requirements.
ASIA OFFICES
Hong Kong (Asia Head O ce)
Shanghai, China
Quingdao, China
Ningbo, China
Shanzhen, China
Xiamen, China
Beijing, China
Taipei, Taiwan
Singapore
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hanoi, Vietnam
Bangkok, Thailand
Jakarta, Indonesia
Chennai, India
UK OFFICES
Manchester (Head O ce)
UK OFFICES
Manchester (Head O ce)
EUROPE OFFICES
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Felixstowe
Basildon
East Midlands
Aberdeen
Manchester (3PL O ce)
EUROPE OFFICES
Dublin, Ireland Heathrow
AFRICA OFFICES
Durban, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
Glasgow
Nottingham
Southampton Warrington
Antwerp, Belium
Wroclaw, Poland