The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) UK brought together young people and industry newcomers from across the country to learn from professionals and develop their skills at our Next Generation Conference at the John Lewis Distribution Centre in Milton Keynes on Thursday 11th June.
The event provided a vital networking opportunity for those starting out in the logistics, transport and supply chain industries, creating a space for those with established careers to discuss the future of the sector and give advice to young professionals who are just beginning with their careers.
The conference was kicked off with a warm welcome from our Next Generation Committee Lead, Hannah Kasongo. Our Next Generation Committee is a forum designed for rising industry professionals, connecting members with experts and employers to support with their career development.
The first talk of the day was by Louise O’Neil, HR Business Partner from Whistl, who explained how Whistl are supporting the Next Generation through their apprenticeships and Driver Academy, and by being a disability confident employer.
This was followed by a talk from John Munnelly, Distribution Director at John Lewis, who discussed ‘The Evolution of eCommerce’ in relation to how John Lewis has adapted to changing customer habits and the exponential growth of online retail.
Then our panel, made up of professionals from CILT (UK)’s 35 under 35, highlighted how technology can enable the future. Led by Aaron Barnes, Founder and Executive Director of Aaron Barnes Consultancy, their discussion explored how early-career professionals are leveraging technology to transform operations, enhance sustainability, elevate customer experience, and build more resilient supply chains. This panel highlighted rising leaders who are driving innovation, harnessing new technologies, and shaping the future of our industry. At the end of the session our attendees got the chance to ask our panellists, Charlie Molnar from Digihaul, Ashleigh Page from Unipart, Alex Castle from GXO and Winifred Athembo from Kuehne + Nagel, their own questions to find out more about their career journey’s.
Next, Kelly Hobson from Shape Tomorrow, a sustainability-focused supply chain leader, discussed ‘Smarter Tech for a Cleaner Future’, stating that “sustainability is not the goal, it is the outcome.”
The morning ended with an interactive session led by Fiona Palmer, Head of Professional Standards at CILT (UK), who helped our Next Gen attendees take control of their careers by talking them through the steps to build a professional development plan.
After a networking lunch and a site tour of the John Lewis Distribution Centre, in which our attendees got to don high vis jackets and witness a stage of the supply chain firsthand, the afternoon began with a lesson in ‘Problem Solving with AI’, led by Robert Baldock from Clustre and Dinesh Ulaganathan from Zühlke UK.
The conference was closed by a practical and collaborative session led by Hannah Kasongo, in which our attendees got the opportunity to work together in groups to create a crisis management plan based off real-world case study examples and present their ideas to a panel of judges.
With 2026 marking 100 years of CILT (UK) being a Chartered professional body for logistics, transport and supply chain, events like the Next Generation Conference help us to look towards the future and ensure that the next generation are supported throughout their career journeys.
Thank you to Whistl, our headline sponsor, for supporting this conference and their commitment to investing in the future of our industry.