Panagiotis Mitropoulos graduated with an MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Kent Business School in 2015. Since then, he has been promoted to NFX Planner and Transport Operator at NFT Distribution Operations Ltd. We caught up with Panagiotis to see how his career has been progressing in the transport and logistics industry.
Describe your role as a NFX Planner and Transport Operator
The NFX team is responsible for the provision of managed full load freight services to clients within the NFT business and to external parties in the UK and internationally. NFT is the leading provider of time-critical, temperature controlled primary logistics solutions. My daily responsibilities include communication with more than 15 customers and over 100 hauliers across the UK to ensure all operations are carried out efficiently. I also plan and oversee transport operations for our EU customers who export in the UK. Aside from this, I work on demand planning and forecasting for customers to influence their organisation and transport operations requirements.
How did you develop the necessary skills for your current role?
During my time at NFT, I have received on-the-job training to develop all the skills necessary to succeed as a planner and transport operator. I have also acquired hands-on experience throughout my current role within the NFX team. For example, teamwork and vision is necessary within my role and I have received extensive support from my company in these areas. Different shift patterns have also helped me to develop my skills and knowledge.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I see myself having developed a lot within the supply chain industry and I envision myself as the head of a team or operations. I am very ambitious and I believe that I have all that it takes to develop my career through the operations path. I see myself working for a big multinational company in Europe as my plan is to travel a lot and live in different countries and experience as many cultures as I can.
How did your MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management prepare you for a career in this industry?
The MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management programme helped me to expand my knowledge in the logistics sector. As part of my programme, I completed a dissertation on a real-life industrial project that facilitated working closely with a distribution company for three months to achieve real company data and information. During this project, I met people from the industry who helped me to understand how operations run in real life. This experience also made a positive impact after I graduated during job interviews as I could apply knowledge that was not only theoretical, but extracted from daily, real life operations.
Why did you choose your postgraduate programme?
I chose the MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management because I wanted to work in this industry. The whole programme and its modules were very interesting and all the professors were very helpful. At the moment I am working as a Planner and Transport Operator so my dream came true and the time and effort I put into my studies paid off.
What were the highlights of studying at Kent Business School?
My time at Kent Business School was one of the best experiences of my life. My dream was to study abroad, so I had the opportunity to study in UK, make new friends from all over the world and get an MSc degree which accelerated my career. My favourite memories are of the social activities I attended such as being part of Woolf College football team, going to Campus social events and living life as a postgraduate student in Canterbury.
Many thanks to Panagiotis for sharing his views. Panagiotis studied the MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management programme at Kent Business School. Find out more about our postgraduate programmes on our website.
Alumni Profile:
Panagiotis Mitropoulos
Panagiotis Mitropoulos graduated with an MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Kent Business School in 2015. Since then, he has been promoted to NFX Planner and Transport Operator at NFT Distribution Operations Ltd.