The main panel discussion at the OMNI conference in DaNang was on the topic of leadership. Leadership is a hot topic in the industry right now.

As the industry emerges from the pandemic years, with all the rollercoaster business that created, and learns how to deal with an ever faster changing business climate, strong leadership has never been more important.  The OMNI conference, of course, being a gathering of the owners and senior management from some of the leading companies in the industry, was the obvious stage on which to lead the discussion.

The panellists were all recognised leaders, not just of their own companies but within the wider industry.  Bill Graebel (Graebel), Cédric Castro (Mobilitas) and Ebru Demeril (Asya International, Turkey) have all grown through family businesses; Amilgir Shah (Freeline Movers, Pakistan) built his business from scratch in a country where starting a removals business was not an obvious choice for a young man; and Annika Roupé (Alfa, Sweden) has recently taken on the leadership of the company having worked in other industries.  All shared their style of leadership and provided insight into what they felt worked best in their organisations.

All panellists, despite their different companies and cultures, preferred an inclusive form of leadership in which employees were empowered to be creative and involved.  Annika, uniquely new to the industry, said that she did a lot of listening, drawing on those with more industry experience than she had herself, before making decisions.

The OMNI conference is unique in bringing all these high-ranking people together in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere.  This business session continued the programme of education and development to which the organisation is committed and through which it, and the industry at large, will be better placed to prosper.

Photo: Leadership panel discussion in Da Nang.