Zac: Mainfreight was started back in the late seventies by Bruce Plested, who is the chairman now. Educated at Timaru Boys High School, Braid has been described as possibly the most self-effacing leader of major listed company in New Zealand and is widely regarded as straight-talking and strong leader. He joined Daily Freightways in 1978, gaining a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business and eventually heading up that company. In 2007, Mainfreight acquired Target Logistics, a United States based forwarder with 34 offices, and an extensive agent network. Mainfreight has international operations in the United States through CaroTrans International and most recently Mainfreight International businesses after the 2007 acquisition of Target Logistics, in Asia (nine branches in China, one each in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong). Zac: Don, what makes you good? Two other directors joined KiwiRail's board earlier this year, Rob Jager and Ed Sims. As an example, we know what money weve made or lost last week in every single one of those 282 branches as of about half an hour ago. Grant Samuel & Associates Ltd. Kate brings to the Board her broad financial and analytical experience acquired in a range of industries, both in New Zealand and overseas. Aside from travel (usually), customers, and communicating with those in other countries I spend my time in front of our people and our leadership team, no matter where they are located. d***@mainfreight.com. New Zealand-based logistics giant Mainfreight is celebrating the roll-out of two new custom-built enterprise software platforms, dubbed Mainmove and . Forsyth Barr analyst Rob Mercer said the market had confidence in Mainfreight after it managed to grow revenue and market share and outperform its peers during the global financial crisis. They established agencies in the early days with Australian, Pacific Island and United States freight forwarders and the established agents in most major trading partner countries of New Zealand. 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. | Early in the piece at Mainfreight, leaders are given responsibility, so the ability to take responsibility and to make decisions is pretty important. The reality is, this leadership team in New Zealand has been through the earthquakes and the GFC and now the pandemic. Not living as a question mark but instead getting on with it and making those decisions. Investors who take an interest in Mainfreight Limited ( NZSE:MFT) should definitely note that the Group MD & Director, Donald Braid, recently paid NZ$74.61 per share to buy NZ$500k worth of. And thats that. So long term, we have a really experienced leadership team. That's just a smallish increase of 6.9% on last year. [4] In 1998, Mainfreight acquired Australian freight forwarder ISS Express lines, subsequently establishing an Australian international freight business. Braid said that while Mainfreights people can be proud of the way they stood up to be counted, there would continue to be uncertainty with heavily congested supply chains continuing to affect the worlds freight lanes. Don: Well, the numbers never lie, right? Terms of use In light of current trends, we will provide a nine-month trading update mid-February 2022. 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. 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. 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, operating in 26 countries around the world, with $3+ billion in sales revenue, and he leads a team of 9,240 passionate Mainfreight people all around the world. Don Braid. Don: Sometimes I think people dont recognise or believe or have enough passion in what theyve developed. 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. I learned that early in the piece and I think its stood me in good stead. At Management Magazine, our focus is to inspire New Zealands business leaders and the managers of today and tomorrow to succeed. This is vitally important for all business to remain financially viable and it is where more than often we see business failures and especially in the Building Construction Industries which I was involved in. Chief executive, Mainfreight Braid said Mainfreight was on track to push close to the $2 billion sales mark by March next year. Well in Europe they had these time clocks. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. So for the first couple of weeks of lockdown in New Zealand, we were wondering, how deep is this going to go? Zac: As the leader of Mainfreight, what do you personally focus on to get the team going in the right direction? FINALIST "But I was fascinated that he could present this picture of a skeleton of a company and present it so brightly.". JUDGES COMMENTS Don Braid of Mainfreight Limited presents key insights for directors about freight and supply chain patterns in the current climate. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.Have feedback on this article? I dont see this as a job, so therefore the stress levels arent as strong. [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. Its great fun. BusinessDesk has a paywall for most of its content. Braid says the Mainfreight culture and passion took hold pretty quickly, and Plested recognised his leadership strengths by appointing him to the board six years later. Check out our latest analysis for Mainfreight. Early on, New Zealand had great lessons to take to the rest of our network. Weekly operational reports are posted on the wall of the company cafeteria in Otahuhu, where all team members, including Braid, eat at a single, long table. He attributed the. Don Braid. It now has 22 company depots in Australia and relies on agents and third parties in the Northern Territory, Tasmania and some of regional Australia. We applaud that; weve always paid every supplier on the 20th of the month following and we ask the same of our customers. After leaving Timaru Boys' High School Braid joined the New Zealand Shipping Corporation as a clerk in 1976. "It's not about what I've done - it's about what we've done and what the business has done," he says. Bryan has a wealth of experience, both in executive and board roles. And then its about exploring the long game. Its about making sure they dont lose the disciplines that make us who we are but embracing them as people delivering for our customers. Email. Other finalists were: Briscoe Group managing director Rod Duke, NZX chief executive Mark Weldon, ex-Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier, Xero founder Rod Drury, LanzaTech chief executive Jennifer Holmgren, Ngai Tahu Holdings Corp chief executive Greg Campbell, TZ1 founding chief executive and former Microsoft New Zealand chief executive Helen Robinson, Farmers/Whitcoulls owners David and Anne Norman and Ryman Healthcare chief executive Simon Challies. "There's no bureaucracy or hierarchy or superiority in the business. The Asian business saw profits more than double to US$7m, driven by increases in market share and rate increases from both air and see freight, the firm said. Hi Tanya. For us its about pushing the decision-making as close to the customer as possible, getting those people to make decisions rather than pushing them upstairs for someone else to make. Things are changing a little bit and everyones suggesting that its all going to go to eCommerce. The worst thing we could do is slow them down with bureaucracy, making them tick a lot of boxes. He joined Daily Freightways in 1978, gaining a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business and eventually heading up . 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. His leadership is underpinned by a strong belief in Mainfreight's global competency and capabilities to provide high-quality supply chain solutions for our customers. Any enquiries, or to book a table, please emailNatalie Spratt, Auckland Branch Coordinator. Weve made this article available for free. Id also be really focused on being in touch with customers. When it comes to capable, motivational and effective leadership Sam Knowles delivers with interest. His first job after leaving school was as a clerk with the Shipping Corporation before he moved on to Sea Freightways and then Daily Freightways, which was sold to Mainfreight in 1994. Deloitte Top 200 Award Winners Announced for 2019 Ideal traits we want to see in leaders are integrity, being trustworthy and capable of bottom up decision-making, not top down. Wed rather own assets than lease them. Its revenue is up 5.9% over the last year. Braid said Mainfreight was on track to push close to the $2 billion sales mark by March next year. How we can fix New Zealand's ports - Don Braid | BusinessDesk Previously, Don was a Political Columnist at Calgary Herald. 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). Don: I think empathy is really important. The multinational logistics and transport group announced a year end dividend of 45 cents a share, taking the full dividend for the year to 75c, up 27% on the prior year. For the latest updates on face to face courses and our safety planning see ourresponse to COVID-19 page. If were going to build facilities for our people, we build very good facilities to be around for a long time. Mainfreight's $43.9m 'family' bonus | BusinessDesk Cash flow is essential for any business survival. 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. Filed Under: Blog, Business coaching, Motivation coming at ya, What a great interview and there are many excellent points which the Mainfreight CEO covered like Empathy which is essential when supporting all those involved in Mainfreights success and another dealt with the importance of making sure all invoices are paid on time. The firm's shares have been one of the best performing stocks on the NZX, returning more than 20 per cent in the year to date. The firm has earned a reputation within the market for being slickly-run. Don: We do weekly reporting on a Monday so you always understand how well youve gone across the business and across the network. Thats the best way of being able to manage an event like were in right now, but Id say its the best way to run a business at all times.We have some really good systems. Chief executive, Air New Zealand Theres no cross subsidies. Don Braid is Managing Director/CEO at Mainfreight Ltd. See Don Braid's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. On 11 June 2007, Mainfreight 'signed a call option deed' to purchase the entirety of the shares of Australian-based Halford International. Subscribe to protect quality NZ journalism. Some people dont want any more responsibility they find their own ceiling and thats fine. We use functional and analytical cookies on our website to offer an optimal user experience. "He implements things very well and you don't have to remind him about anything you're trying to achieve. Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 91% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 9.3% of the pie. Other Current Directorships: Information and Communication Services Limited (Chairman), Seronic (NZ) Limited, and his family companies. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future. Richard has been elected a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He has issued a New research confirms the importance that NZ business leaders place on reputation, but reveals that many companies need to increase their investment in building and protecting it. We were lucky enough to have a really incredible chat with Mainfreight CEO Don Braid about what he has learnt as the CEO of Mainfreight. We got a taste of what was to come early in the piece with our Chinese business and seeing what they were going through. While many of its NZX-50 peers have entered a period of stagnation, Mainfreight - it seems - thrives on hard times. 'Ready, fire, aim' is Mainfreight man's mantra | Stuff.co.nz In May 2011, Mainfreight established a CaroTrans branch in Santiago, Chile. 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). Theyll have the Mainfreight culture, but itll have a little twist for example, the culture in Shanghai is different to the culture in Newark or the Netherlands or Sydney. Braid consistently delivers for shareholders and stakeholders alike. He has also lent his considerable support to not-for-profit organisations such as the Starship Foundation. Dogged determination, drive and eternal optimism - they're all qualities Don Braid exudes. Possibly more important for its team of 8,000, the firm more than doubled its Christmas bonus for 2020, from $5.35m to $11m. Contact. Rob Fyfe is the polished and personable face of the new lean and globally competitive Air New Zealand. It doesnt matter what the worlds thrown at them, theyve shown they are capable of dealing with it. 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. PO Box 65092, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, Top 200 : Deloitte/Management magazine Executive of the Year Don Braid Clear Vision. Mainfreight completes huge software roll-out, spanning A/NZ, US and After receiving the 2016 Infinz Leadership Award he told staff if this is a tick in the box for the way we have done things or are trying to do, and for what were trying to create, then well take that tick. Proud of its family ties, Mainfreight also employs Braids sons, Jason and Corey. FINALIST Zac: Mainfreight is obviously a massive employer with almost 9000 staff across the world. In addition, we use tracking cookies, which can collect information about you and follow your internet activity within our website, and possibly outside our website as well. You know, people arrive when they arrive and they leave when they leave. [3][4], When the company was founded it entered a highly regulated transport market. Mainfreight Limited is a New Zealand logistics and transport company headquartered in Auckland. [10] In August 2013, Mainfreight and the family of Wim Bosman reached an out of court agreement for compensation to the tune of 8.2 million or $14 million. In 2006 the New Zealand Mainfreight International and Owens International businesses were also merged to make Mainfreight Owens International Ltd (now Mainfreight International). Mainfreight boss bypasses 'profiteering' global shipping lines - Newsroom He owns a 3 per cent stake in the firm, worth about $29 million. He's got plenty of charm if he wants to have it and his leadership skills just stand out people want to stand next to him, Plested was quoted as saying after Braid was selected as the 2011 Business Leader of the Year. We would meet with them once a week and theyd share what theyd discovered and what they hadnt discovered and wed give them some guidance but then get out of their way and let them get on with the job. Yes, wed committed an enormous amount of capital expenditure coming into this new financial year, but we were in good shape in that the balance sheet looks pretty good. For further information, please contact Don Braid, Group Managing Director, telephone +64 9 259 5503, +64 274 961 637 or email don@mainfreight.com. 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. Early in my career I understood that I enjoyed the interaction with customers and in fact I enjoy the challenge of helping win new customers. It has largely grown earnings and revenue since 2008 and tripled its share price between early 2009 and today. Media enquiries The Australian business reported a 46.6% jump in profit before tax to A$71.5m for the year, on the back of regional expansion of the groups transport business. Mainfreight is publicly listed on the NZ Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of $8+ billion. Subscribe, 0.1 The Four Pillars of Governance Best Practice, 0.3 Corporate governance landscape in New Zealand, The second pillar - An effective governance culture, 2.3 Board architecture a charter for the board, 2.4 Board composition and succession planning, 2.5 Key competencies for non-executive directors, 3.6 Technology and information governance, 3.11 Employees holding external directorships, 4.4 Director shareholdings and insider trading, 4.16 The company secretary or corporate officer, Breakfast with Don Braid, Managing Director of Mainfreight Ltd. Im not sure well see driverless trucks in NZ for some time to come. Don Braid, Group Managing Director of Mainfreight Limited, was educated at Timaru Boys High School and has over 30 years experience in freight forwarding and logistics both New Zealand and internationally. 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. He likes to surround himself with clever, energetic people who are equally as dedicated as him to meeting and exceeding the needs of Mainfreights customers. George Adams, the departing MD, of Coca-Cola Amatil, won the Leader of the Year award at this weeks NZ Workplace Health & Safety Awards 2013. Don: Theres been lots of things actually, like electric forklifts, the use of solar power Heres a good example: in New Zealand weve never had time clocks. But well and behold, were in the perfect position not a lot of debt, trading really well, coming off a really good financial year the year before. Mainfreight declares flat dividend, hands back $11m wage subsidy Though his father was a truck driver, Timaru-born Braid can't recall being influenced by this. So youre not only giving them a responsibility for the P&L, but youre also giving them the responsibility of whos going to join our family. Once we convinced them that they didnt need a time clock, they took to them with a sledgehammer. Thats the key. Click on [Agree] or [Disagree] to accept or refuse cookies. We dont call them staff for us, they are our people or our team. Experts say community investment is the future. Sam Knowles Thanks Mr Braid for sharing your knowledge and insight. His company has been a shining example of success amid tough global economic conditions. In the leadup to the 2017 election, Braid said the country needed to be run by visionaries rather than a couple of accountants and he took aim at Nationals pledge to spend an extra $2.6b on Auckland transport. What are their requirements? New Zealand Shareholders' Association corporate liaison Des Hunt says Braid is one of the most effective listed company bosses in this country. He is 100 percent dedicated to Mainfreight and its future and has led the company in consolidating its position as an international business, progress which will bring rewards not only for that company but for New Zealand as it continues to expand offshore. Zac: Im keen to understand what do you think are common reasons why many businesses fail to reach their maximum potential? What have we got right? I guess whats annoying is that we have got to wait for an election year to get this kind of stuff. I really want to be in front of those customers! Director Profiles | New Zealand - Mainfreight The Group MD & Director of Mainfreight Limited (NZSE:MFT), Donald Braid Learn more. So we have these 282 locations across 20 countries how do we get them each operating at their peak, every day? In that respect, NZ was the worst effected with weekly revenues during April 2020 down by about 40% on average levels. So it looks like Mainfreight compensates Don Braid in line with the median for the industry. Mainfreights two new build warehouses, a 50,000 square metre facility in Sydney and 30,000sqm build in Melbourne, are scheduled for completion by end next year. So weve got eight and a half thousand people and 282 locations. As a Government Minister, Richard was responsible for creating SOEs, deregulating telecommunications and broadcasting, reforming ports, airports, railways and aviation. "I don't think any of those things are really of interest to this," he says. The relationships we develop, both with suppliers and with customers, are there for the long term. "If you allow the recession to roll over the top of you there's a great chance it will.". If theyre not on their game, you can see that really quickly so you either get alongside them and help them or if it goes on for too long you realise weve got the wrong person in the wrong role and weve got to change them. And I think ultimately, yes, Im responsible for the business, but I enjoy what I do and having great people and a good lifestyle where I can stay fit and have some fun means the stress levels arent that high. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size. Appointment to Board 2000 - With Mainfreight since 1994. Another attribute is straight talking. "That gives us an enormous amount of opportunity.". Investment has to come year on year it cant just come as a bribe at election time., Embracing the company motto that Good enough is never enough, Braid is focused on fulfilling a vision to make Mainfreight a 100-year company. So all the bureaucracy that goes on is increasing the amount of time that well see some of those things arrive. He knows where the company is going and, more importantly, how it will get there. Not bad for a Kiwi trucking company! By using this website you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy. Since the acquisition of the Wim Bosman Group the eurozone has spiralled to the brink of economic disaster, but 52-year-old Braid says doing business on the debt-ravaged continent is nothing other than an "exciting" prospect. Her knowledge of high-tech companies is a welcome addition to the Boards capabilities, as is her familiarity with the complexities of acquisitions, and steering companies through growth and change. Group Managing Director at Mainfreight NZ . Mainfreight's net profit rose by $40.1m to $188.1m. In November 2014, Mainfreight acquired a regional air and sea freight company located in Dunedin.
