Gavin
Everson

Director, Global Trade Consulting & UK Brokerage, Europe and Asia – Livingston

Refining Processes

Gavin has spent more than 40 years in customs and trade management. He joined Livingston in 2012 during the acquisition of the customs and trade compliance services business of JPMorgan. A skilled project manager with a strong background in logistics and process improvement (Six Sigma Black Belt), he finds cost savings by leveraging trade agreements and minimizing duties; creates cost-effective import, export, and transit processes; and supports our clients during customs audits. He has worked in North America and Europe and established new teams in India, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Keenly analytical, Gavin is renowned for deconstructing complex issues, breaking down their constituent parts, then solving the puzzle piece by piece.

"Livingston's process-driven approach to problem solving is a great strength in the UK market where we are less well-known than the biggest firms" says Gavin. "We build confidence fast with clients because we get results without rigidity or excessive fees."

Recent work of note: 1. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the European export control system of a multinational telecoms/IT corporation. 2. Analyzing and resolving multiple problems for European and UK importers/exporters as a result of Brexit.

Professional ethos: Service. Quality. Customer satisfaction. "Client revenue is important, but not as important as client satisfaction, which is only achieved if we deliver high-quality projects and documentation. That's what gets us recommended to new clients."

The big opportunity he sees right now for clients: "Staying compliant yet competitive. Compliance, especially in exports and environmental areas, has never been more difficult than it is now. But it comes at a cost, making it potentially unattractive. The key is showing clients how they can achieve compliance at a reasonable cost, or even use compliance to reduce their costs."

Personal passions: Running. Birdwatching. Gardening. Gavin is in the top 100 UKrunners for his age group. Birdwatching and gardening "because they give me peace and keep my stress levels down."

Gavin is a member of the UK Customs Practitioners Group, a Chartered Member of the UK Institute of Logistics & Transport, and a regular speaker at trade seminars.