Cargo Champion – Peter Quantrill
16 / 10 / 2012
A LOVE of jazz is not the usual path to a passion for air cargo but that is how Peter Quantrill joined the industry.
With a career spanning 30 years Quantrill is currently director general of BIFA (British International Freight Association) where he draws upon his experience both sides of the Atlantic at UPS, Mercury, Menlo and Emery to name a few.
Qauntrill freely admits he started out in aviation in 1965 because it gave him the opportunity to follow his jazz and blues heroes.
He started at Aer Lingus because they flew to Chicago where he could see John Lee Hooker.
He says: “I was briefly on the passenger side but after I worked with a colleague in cargo I became fascinated by what he was doing.
“So when an opening came up I jumped at the chance.
“I felt as though I was doing business in an industry with its feet on the ground. It was both dynamic and practical.”
Asked to explain the connection between jazz and cargo Quantrill says: “Improvisation”.
“Supply chains are about minute planning but from time to time you have to meet unexpected challenges.”
Tony Keating, who worked with Quantrill at Mercury, says: “Peter was quiet and confident. He ran a tight ship but he was always ready with a story or a joke.”
Peter Brougham, who is a non-executive director at DHL, says: “We share a love of music and later we realised we had worked at the same nightclubs in Manchester – he is a great bloke to work for
