Its great fun. Some of the leading players in the listed retirement sector have been raising capital. d***@mainfreight.com. [4] In 1998, Mainfreight acquired Australian freight forwarder ISS Express lines, subsequently establishing an Australian international freight business. Founded in 1969 as Dunedin Customs Brokers Ltd, DCB International provides international air and sea freight services from Dunedin. When other international airlines are finding their wings clipped, this straight talking, and well regarded leader, has proved his point. Don has led the Mainfreight team through a significant period of change and expansion to become the successful global supply chain logistics provider it is today, with businesses operating in over 214 branches throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Asia and the United States. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.Have feedback on this article? Bryan has a wealth of experience, both in executive and board roles. Moreover, Don Braid also holds NZ$171m worth of Mainfreight stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company. Business in the Americas also saw an improved performance, with a 29.7% increase in profit to US$25.93m, with Mainfreight's air and ocean division benefiting from resurgent demand from customers and market share gains in the US. So we are developing our people to be the best they possibly can be. We have been monitoring government updates regarding COVID-19 and are keeping up to date with Ministry of Health guidance with regard to events and public gatherings. Id also be really focused on being in touch with customers. The lawsuit claimed that Wim Bosman, the former owner, had prior knowledge of a large client, Giant Bicycles, intentions to end corporate ties with the group. Braid, who joined Mainfreight through its purchase of Daily Freightways, says the company hasn't let the last few years of economic upheaval dull its ambitions. Don Braid, Group Managing Director of Mainfreight Limited, was educated at Timaru Boys High School and has over 43 years experience in freight forwarding and logistics both NewZealand and internationally. Is our service or a product still current? Zac: Don, your 100-year vision how does that work? See guidance for chairs and directors. People thrive on being given responsibility. Braid goes to great lengths to stress that the company's success is the result of the efforts of its entire, 5167-member "team" around the world. Those are the real world indicators of whether youve got morale correct or not or whether youve got some issues going on you need to address. Brent is a senior reporter based in Queenstown. With the takeover of the Owens Group in 2003 they purchased Owens International Australia. Managing director Don Braid said Covid-19 fully tested Mainfreight's resilience, but it also necessitated some fundamental commitments. We will probably go back to normal but be ready to adapt, be flexible and look after your people theyll bring the answers to the table for you on what your business will look like in the future. Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, What Led to Europes Deadliest Train Crash in a Decade, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX. Don Braid is Managing Director/CEO at Mainfreight Ltd. See Don Braid's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. Zac: Aside from being in front of customers, what else do you spend your weeks focusing on as the global CEO of Mainfreight? Don: The recruitment of our people sits with the branch managers. Don Braid, Group Managing Director of Mainfreight Limited, was educated at Timaru Boys' High School and has over 43 years' experience in freight forwarding and logistics both New Zealand and internationally. Don Braid of Mainfreight Limited presents key insights for directors about freight and supply chain patterns in the current climate. Its about the other employees seeing the numbers; dont forget, we share those profits with our people too so theres internal pressure to perform too. He is unquestionably our Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Executive of the Year. Mainfreight founder says bonuses help solve inequality and - Stuff [4] This operation was expanded with depots in Melbourne and Brisbane. Offices are outlawed, even for Braid, whose desk is situated in the corner of a large, open-plan room occupied by the company's national team. Mainfreight is the fourth largest company in NZ, doing over $3 billion in sales and over $300 million in EBITDA, with physical assets of $1.5 billion and debt of less than $200 million. Youve got to think about that as small groups of people looking after our customers and each group is important in their own right and theyll have their own little traits. Mainfreight was founded on 6 March 1978 by Bruce Plested who started the company with just $ 7,200 and a 1969 Bedford truck. So what you produce in terms of profitability is real. Photo / Supplied . Don has over 40 years experience in the freight industry, including 26 with Mainfreight. [8], Headquartered in 's-Heerenberg, The Netherlands, Wim Bosman is privately held and operates more than 1,000 transport units, manage more than 275,000m2 of cross-docking facilities and warehouse area, and employ roughly 1,414 staff within 14 branches located in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Romania, Poland, and Russia. Subscribe to protect quality NZ journalism. Chosen from New Zealand's top companies, this year's Deloitte . Nothing drives home the state of our roads like a trip on a bike. His visits to our local and overseas operations guide our teams to be sales-focused and always aiming for operational excellence. I dont see this as a job, so therefore the stress levels arent as strong. Bruce Plested, the firm's executive chairman who founded the company in 1978 with $7200 and a 1969 Bedford truck, recalls the day in 1994 when Braid - then a Freightways Group employee - had the job of pitching its Daily Freightways business to Mainfreight, which it acquired that year. Should it change? Were not thinking about selling our shares, were not thinking of getting out when the goings good were here for the good and the bad so were preparing the business for that next 100 years. So a lot is about the long game. "It's just a little rule that we've had because if they [analysts] keep calling us a trucking company they clearly haven't done their research.". Don: Well, the numbers never lie, right? Don Braid has been with freight and logistics company Mainfreight since 1994, after joining the firm as part of the acquisition of Daily Freightways (where he had been for 16 years). Then we got some momentum and we saw some of the other regions doing better than what we thought so we felt better about it. As a Kiwi living in England and studying management currently, I have really enjoyed reading this interview. An unabashed promoter of New Zealand success, he has an extensive background in the banking industry in New Zealand and Australia, with senior management experience in marketing, strategic planning, retail services and business development. With well-established locations that include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and Korea, the Mainfreight global network continues to expand year over year. Im always exploring those opportunities and may be experimenting in particular regions or with particular customers before implementing that across the rest of the business. A licence from New Zealand Railways Corporation was needed to carry freight over 150km. Net capex totaled $155m for the period, of which land and buildings accounted for $111.7m, plant and equipment $26.6m and IT at $16.7m. Mainfreight boss Don Braid sees fresh opportunities in China's Belt and Road initiative, writes Bill Bennett. Not bad for a Kiwi trucking company! Will His AI Plans Be Any Different? So Don, my first question is whats been your main focus the past two months during Covid times and leading Mainfreight and global business? Likewise, his strongly-held beliefs relating to the importance of education and of recycling/ sustainability, continue to positively shape the Companys behaviours. Mainfreight is a truly brilliant organization who sees all staff and their Franchises businesses as friends not employees. Rising inflation and labour shortages have added to the Covid-19 melting pot, crippling global supply chains and trade growth. I learned that early in the piece and I think its stood me in good stead. Don Braid, Mainfreight Ltd: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Mainfreight Limited is a New Zealand logistics and transport company headquartered in Auckland. Where should we open next? But, he said the first seven weeks of trading in the current year has been at similar levels to the past six months. In 2008, the United States locations were re-branded as Mainfreight USA. His leadership is underpinned by a strong belief in Mainfreights global competency and capabilities to provide high-quality supply chain solutions for our customers. He runs the businesses with consciously egalitarian slant and is no fan of bureaucracy or the trappings of hierarchies. Even Europe's ongoing economic turmoil fails to dampen Braid's optimism, despite the Kiwi logistics operator having spent more than $200 million buying a Netherlands-based freight firm earlier this year, giving it a European footprint for the first time in its more than three-decade history. Thats the key. Both are real legends and seem to really walk the talk. We dont call them staff for us, they are our people or our team. In the decade Braid has spent at its helm, the company has become a global logistics player with operations on every populated continent apart from Africa. So everything that we do is about being here for a long time. I suppose were grooming people all the time for those loaded leadership roles. So it doesnt matter whether youre loading freight, taking customer service calls, out making sales calls, or an operations transport manager, you understand those disciplines early on in the piece. You may withdraw your consent at any time. He joined Daily Freightways in 1978, gaining a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business and eventually heading up that company. Don: For us, its not about the short game, its about the long game. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. The trick is to decentralize it and to give them control of the profit and loss, allow them to have sufficient KPIs, and measurement systems to monitor those as quickly as possible so that nothing gets out of control. In the 12 months to March 31, Mainfreight - which has been one of the top performing stocks on the NZX this year - posted record sales of $1.34 billion. He is an outstandingly consistent and capable chief executive. Weve got examples of that in our business right now. Don: I get out of the way. Agreement with print tech giant Canon saves college thousands. Mainfreight was founded on 6 March 1978 by Bruce Plested who started the company with just $7,200 and a 1969 Bedford truck. [9], Within its announcement, the Mainfreight sad, "Wim Bosman is a well respected, profitable organisation which will provide Mainfreight with a significant European presence and opportunity to further grow its supply chain logistic services throughout the world. Zac: Can you share what some of the great ideas youve actually brought from overseas have been? I guess whats annoying is that we have got to wait for an election year to get this kind of stuff. Mainfreight managing director Don Braid, left, and founder and chairman Bruce Plested who says businesses should share profits with workers. Theres a video of it happening and what was really exciting was once the clock came off the wall, you could hear the laughter and the clapping and the voices of approval from those who were watching. I think our owner drivers are a key component of the relationship with the customer. Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas, How Ron DeSantis misreads Corporate America, Tesla recalls 3,470 Model Y vehicles over loose bolts, 3 big things in investing you might have missed this week, UPDATE 1-North Korea says US causing international arms control collapse. Engage via Email. In his results commentary, Braid said the results were pleasing in light of initial supply chain disruptions during the early part of the year, on the back of lockdowns in response to the global pandemic. The firms European business where it has a footprint of more than 330,000 sqm of warehousing saw a 23.4% improvement in profit before tax to 22.35m, despite extensive lockdowns across the continent, many of which were ongoing. He delivers on Mainfreights bold and expansive strategy while still bringing home the bacon for his shareholders. Your email address will not be published. Mainfreight's $43.9m 'family' bonus | BusinessDesk [2] In 1979, Bruce Plested partnered with Neil Graham, with Graham based in Christchurch and Plested in Auckland. Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2021 - NZX For further information, please contact Don Braid, Group Managing Director, telephone +64 9 259 5503, +64 274 961 637 or email don@mainfreight.com. Having started out with two employees and one truck in 1978, the company now employs more than 7500 people in 22 countries and generated a net profit of $103m in the 2017 financial year on operating revenue of $2.33 billion. The price of the rights fell as low as 7.5 cents on the last day of trading. Learn more. The worst thing we could do is slow them down with bureaucracy, making them tick a lot of boxes. They couldnt believe we trusted them to turn up when we needed them to turn up and leave when we needed them to leave. Plested says that within a few months of the firm's acquisition of Daily Freightways, which became Daily Freight under Mainfreight ownership, he came to recognise Braid's strengths.