IN T E RV I E W A job well done There are some people who seem to have been at the heart of the moving business for a lifetime. Two of these Rob Chipman, of Asian Tigers, and Phil Wells, of JK Moving are retiring after combined service of more than 46 years. At the IAM convention, FIDI Secretary General Jesse van Sas invited them to discuss their thoughts on the industry and where they see it heading in the years ahead R ob Chipman, CEO of Asian Tigers, and Phil Wells, Senior VP of Global Move Management at JK Moving, are retiring after long careers in the moving industry. Both started out in other industries. Chipman began in banking and finance, and was posted to Hong Kong. But after 12 years of working in that large, corporate environment, Phil Wells British l Started his career in procurement at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC, US l Worked for 16 years at Security Storage Company (latterly Secor Group), in Washington DC, becoming VP of International l Joined JK Moving Services, also in Washington DC, as VP of International. JK is now one of the leading corporate movers in DC l Took part in the MiM course (then the Advanced Management course) in Belgium in 2001 l Sat on the Board Nomination Committee from 2015 to 2023. Rob Chipman US American l Started work in finance in Hong Kong l Joined Asian Tigers Hong Kong as CEO in 2001. The company is now owned by KC Dat l Chaired the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong in 2011 and 2012 l Joined the FIDI Board in 2012 and became FIDI President in 2016/17. He retired from the Board in 2020. he concluded: I wasnt a good bureaucrat, and the moving business gave me the opportunity to be in a smaller, more entrepreneurial environment. Wells, meanwhile, worked in procurement for the Australian Embassy in Washington DC, with responsibility for organising the comings and goings of staff between the two countries. This was how I superficially came to know about the moving business, he says. His first job in the sector was with Security Storage Company, in Washington DC, one of the largest movers in the region, working for clients including the US government, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. He stayed there for 16 years. The two men had similar first impressions of a highly involved, hands-on industry, where every decision counts. Chipman likens joining moving to riding a unicycle. Every single move you made was treacherous and risky, but it really made you sharp... I loved it, and I am here, 30 years later. For Wells, the sheer volume of admin in his early days made an impression: Id never seen so much paperwork in my life; it was unbelievable. The travel and supportive network were among the reasons he stayed in the business. Changing times Chipman singles out two areas that have changed immeasurably during his time in the industry. The first is the type of customer with which movers are dealing. It used to be the local HR representative from Citibank or Michelin, or whoever and we could establish a good relationship, get close to them, listen to their needs, and help them, he says. Then we were dealing with multinational head offices, before they took control away from these offices, and were then dealing with RMCs and other agents... so, as far as the client goes, we just get in there and do the job. It has taken a lot of satisfaction out of the business. Movers have had to get pleasure from work in other ways, he adds such as by building efficiencies or getting into digital advertising. Technological advancement is the second, more recent, change, Chipman says but despite progress in operational areas such as virtual surveys, he adds, admin has yet to be fully transformed. This is probably the biggest opportunity for improvement, he says. You can make incremental improvements to the packaging and operations side better materials, recycling, and so on but on the administration side we can really get better... and you can make radical improvements through the integration of technology. Wells agrees, saying technology affords movers a greater geographical reach, and gives younger employees the tools to excel at the unique jobs on offer. However, he adds, having seen some people not enjoying or thriving in the industry including some offspring of owners in family businesses prospective employees must get the industry to bloom. Chipman says that while the first couple of years in a moving career can be challenging, once its in your blood you really start to see the benefits, and you learn a lot of the basics about how trade works. These are great transferable skills, too. Passion in moving is a nonnegotiable, says Wells, and Chipman adds: They have to have a personality, a spark, to be interested 52 FF312 Dec_Feb 23 pp52-53 Rob and Phil.indd 52 05/12/2023 09:17