Meet the Team
This week we learn more about our CDS Compliance Analyst/resident CDS Guru, Alex. Read on to find out about customs misconceptions, what he enjoys most about his job, the best piece of advice he’s been given, and what his favourite super power would be!
Question time!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I joined my local Chamber, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, before Brexit to assist with the task of getting the membership ready for the huge changes ahead. I helped with the introduction of the customs declaration service provided by Ayrshire Chamber after being trained by ChamberCustoms. After two years, it was time to move on to a more central role so in 2021 I progressed over to ChamberCustoms.
What do you do at ChamberCustoms?
Within ChamberCustoms I started to support Chambers with the technical side of running a customs service. From there I have become involved in project work such as consultancy on usability of new CDS software, overseeing the migration of the chamber network from CHIEF to CDS and assisted in the creation and delivery of our new CDS training packages.
What’s your favourite bit of your job?
Testing weird and wonderful declarations. With such a large network of customers from all over the UK, it is understandable that ChamberCustoms is asked to look into situations that are not “normal”. My favourite part of my job is trying to understand how these situations will work on CDS and spending hours, sometimes days trying to read through all the rules and understand the best solution for these more complicated scenarios.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about customs clearance?
Faster is better. There seems to be a race to get goods moving in and out of the UK with not much thought to compliance. I understand there must be a balance between speed and compliance but it is important that just because you manged to move your goods a day ahead of schedule, does not mean it was done correctly and HMRC can, and will check up to 7 years later. They are in no rush and you shouldn’t be either.
What advice would you give a business which is considering exporting overseas?
Learn, Learn, Learn. Customs is seeing the biggest change to its procedures in 30 years with the introduction of CDS. Once that initial change happens, just like with any new system, there are going to be things that work and most importantly, things that don’t. It is vital that you continue to develop your knowledge and keep ahead of not just the big changes but also the small changes that will come as CDS adapts to all our needs.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
When I’m lucky enough to get time away from the madness of customs, I enjoy nothing more than spending time being out and about with my family, with a bit of Sky Sports mixed in there for the football.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Life does not start and end with work. It is so easy to get caught up in the world of customs but sometimes it is important that we notice the world around us as well.
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation. I would love to be able to go anywhere, any time, and explore everything the world has to offer.