Gary Harrold Nominated for Lifetime Achievement Award
Customs Support Group is proud to announce that our UK & IE Operations Director, Gary Harrold, has been shortlisted for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the East Suffolk Business Awards 2025. This prestigious recognition celebrates Gary’s nearly 25 years of service to the logistics and customs community in Felixstowe and the wider East Suffolk region.
A Legacy Built in Felixstowe
Gary’s career began in 2001 at Hudig UK Ltd, followed by a 12-year tenure at CEVA Logistics. In 2015, he joined UKCS, which later became part of Customs Support Group. Since then, Gary has held senior leadership roles including General Manager, UK Managing Director, and now UK & IE Operations Director.
His journey has been deeply rooted in Felixstowe, the UK’s largest port and one of Europe’s most vital logistics hubs. Gary reflects:
“Felixstowe is a beautiful coastal town, where the sun is always shining. The pool of talent here is incredible. We have the largest port in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, so the amount of local people in the industry is far greater than most other places. That environment creates better opportunities for people to grow as individuals and make connections.”
Driving Innovation in Customs
In his current role, Gary leads operational quality, compliance, and efficiency across the UK and Ireland. A standout achievement in 2024 was his leadership in launching Customs SmartAssist, our intelligent document processing system.
Designed to tackle complex, non-digitalised customs declarations, SmartAssist improved processing times by over 30% and now supports the streamlining of tens of thousands of complex declarations monthly across UK offices. It is poised for wider European deployment thanks to the strong foundation Gary established.
Gary’s impact goes beyond operational excellence. He is a mentor, a champion of local talent, and a driving force behind a supportive workplace culture. As Emmett Young, Key Account Director UK, puts it:
“Gary delivers exceptional customer service through his deep industry expertise, clear communication and a genuine commitment to solving client challenges quickly and effectively. His proactive approach ensures every customer receives support that makes complex customs processes easy to navigate.”
The East Suffolk Business Awards will be held at the Ivy House Country Hotel in Lowestoft on Thursday, 6 November. We are honoured to see Gary recognised among the region’s most dedicated professionals. For event details, visit the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.
To learn more about Customs Support Group and our commitment to excellence in customs and trade solutions, find us at one of the upcomming awards, events or contact our team directly.
