This year, International Forwarding Ltd (IFL) lost its original managing director, Roy Baker, who sadly passed away in April. Staff and colleagues in the industry have been paying tribute to ‘a pioneer’, ‘a mentor’ and ‘a true gentleman’.
Trisha Slater, Operations Director, IFL, said: “All of us at IFL were very sad to hear of the passing of Roy in April this year. Roy was the original managing director and one of the founders of IFL since its formation in 1989. He was one of the pioneers for Midlands-based freight operations, as well as a big supporter, board member and Vice President of British International Freight Association (BIFA) until recently.
“Roy was instrumental in developing our European network, connecting us with overnight pallet networks, achieving industry accreditations, and advising on the legal and technical side of freight forwarding. He continued to enjoy working part time with the company well past his retirement age and was very much respected by us all.
“His incredible knowledge of our industry was outstanding in so many ways. We at IFL will always remember him as a gentleman. He was polite, caring and always willing to share his knowledge with everyone here; always pushing us beyond our capabilities to develop, and always with words of encouragement along the way with his calming influence.
“He was also a mentor to a lot of the staff here at IFL, including myself, always willing to guide us, and share his wisdom and passion for the industry. The world got a little greyer losing such a great man. He was special.”
‘A true gentleman’
Roy’s associates at BIFA have also paid tribute to their friend and colleague. Steve Parker, Director General, BIFA, opened his editor’s letter in the June issue of BIFALink saying: “I always found Roy to be a true gentleman who spoke wisely, and excellent company (especially if you wanted to talk about steam trains).”
Others praised his extensive knowledge of the industry, his willingness to share that knowledge, his gentle nature, and referred to him as ‘the ultimate professional’. He will be greatly missed by a great many people.
You can read Roy Baker’s obituary on page 6 of BIFALink – a trade magazine that was named by Roy following a competition.
For more on Roy’s legacy at IFL, read our interview with him as IFL turned 30 in 2019.
