MEET ME, SAFIA AFGAN, UPF SOUTH AFRICA

Hi Safia! Tell me more about you! My name is Safia Afgan, 36 years young, wife, mum and cat mum.  

I am originally from Howick, South Africa. I completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree. (Supply  Chain Management and Economics) at University of KwaZulu Natal in 2010. I moved to  Johannesburg in 2011 for better opportunities, where I also happened to find love and marry in 2014. We were blessed with our daughter, who carries a rare genetic disorder which makes her a  somewhat extraordinary human. She is the epitome of resilience and my everyday inspiration – she  has truly created better humans of myself and my better half. 

A lot of our free time gets used up attending to her medical needs however, when there is time, I  enjoy baking, while my husband loves cooking. My daughter simply loves water so during the  summertime we are doing a lot of swimming in our home pool. 

I am also very analytical, so I enjoy cleaning, organising, and playing Sudoku. 

What is your background for choosing the industry? After completing my degree, I started my  first job as a road freight controller at Kuehne-Nagel South Africa for just over 2 years. I then moved  to World Net Logistics in 2014. In 2016, I moved to CEVA Logistics as an estimator. I remained at  CEVA for the next 8 years and moved through various roles. My final role was a Road Freight  Supervisor. Academically I always enjoyed problem solving, and there is no other career in my eyes  that requires more of the same than logistics.  

What is your role at the office? I see my role as the Operations Manager being that of an all rounder. I build relationships with carriers\vendors and clients. Experience has proved to me that  you should always listen to the needs of your client, create solutions and execute these with  precision to meet or preferably exceed those needs. In the end ensuring a lasting relationship that is  profitable for us as a business and the customer. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? At my previous company, the road freight department, started off with just me, myself and I. When I left, we were a team of around 20. Taking that as a cue I would like to see the same here at UPF SA. The satisfaction of growing a business can be quite gratifying, hopefully doing it faster and empowering more people in the process.