Managing Director, Keith O’Brien tells Exec how Seko Synergy keeps customers happy while increasing the company’s share in a consolidating market
Written by Roxanne Ridge and Produced by Kiron Chavda
Seko Synergy was founded in 2003 when Managing Director, Keith O’Brien, decided against a future in the usual multi-national corporation and instead decided to set up his own company.
Keith developed an interest in freight services during his first main position working in Scotland. He later relocated to London and then Manchester, where he honed his knowledge in the sector and was soon fast-tracked to a senior management position working for Brantford International, the air freight arm of ocean giants OOCL.
In 1996 Mark White - then Managing Director of Ultimex Global Logistics, a freight forwarding company, and now Chairman of Seko Synergy - approached Keith. He wanted help setting up a presence of the company in the North of England. Keith relished the challenge, but Ultimex was sold to a multinational. This move was a good one for the company at the time but Keith recognised that the industry was consolidating heavily and leaving gaps in the market. He decided to move back down to London to set up Seko Synergy – a company offering comprehensive supply chain management and logistical solutions.
At this stage, Seko Synergy was a company that boasted two people and a couple of laptops. But that wasn’t for long – the company now has 170 staff in the UK and offices worldwide.
This year, Seko Synergy will report a turnover in excess of US$55 million and has worked with clients in a wide range of sectors including fashion, lifestyle, high tech and hotel and travel. It is proud to have a number of household brands in its portfolio of customers including Molton Brown, Reiss, Pout Cosmetics, Pink soda and Filofax.
The company has been named in the Sunday Times’ Fast Track 100 report two years running and has won various other industry awards, including the IFW Supply Chain Excellence Award and the industry’s regulator BIFA awards for service in Airfreight, Technology and Supply Chain Excellence.
Unlike others
The combination of two very successful private companies, both market leaders in their particular areas of expertise - global supply chain management and outsourced logistics solutions - Seko Synergy offers a unique end to end service. “In this industry, Seko Synergy sits as a medium-sized company,” explains Keith. “And for that reason the company is able to offer a range of services that the larger multinationals and our smaller competitors cannot. Our size allows us to be more dynamic and responsive to our clients’ needs.
“We aim to offer a suite of product offerings across the entire supply chain,” explains Keith. “Shipping and warehousing are just part of the services we provide. We help our customers manage and streamline global fulfilment – effectively offering a total outsourced solution. Seko Synergy offers everything from procurement to web based purchase order management and order fulfilment tools, from traditional…
Click here to view the corporate brochure on Seko Synergy