Venolyn Treven Govender

• Monitor pricing changes assess vendors pricing strategies on overall project performance and recommend adjustments when necessary.
• Assist operations & sales team in creating tailored solutions, maximizing profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Develop and implement strong analytical and financial skills, which help to anticipate market and company needs.
• Conduct regular price reviews, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and competitor activities.
• Streamline pricing processes through automation, increasing efficiency and accuracy of data management.
• Identify key areas that could be enhanced and implemented successful process improvements.
• Monitor competitors' pricing activities to make effective decisions that would improve company revenue.
• Manage a portfolio of key accounts, ensuring alignment of pricing strategies with client expectations and contractual agreements.

• Opportunity identification - Research and identify new business opportunities, including new markets, growth areas, and trends.
• Client relationship management - Build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing clients, ensuring their business needs are met and fostering long-term partnerships.
• Develop and implement strategic plans to increase revenue, expand market presence, and achieve business goals.
• Conduct thorough market analysis to stay ahead of industry trends and identify potential areas for business growth.
• Work closely with the operations team to develop and execute strategies that drive business development and achieve targets.
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with other companies to expand the company’s reach and capabilities.
• Regularly review and report on business development activities, providing insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Providing customers with a full end-to-end scope of what we can offer within our quotations.

• Ensuring trade execution is appropriately and timeously planned and arrangements of the movement of product in line with contractual obligations, sea and land.
• Managing domestic and international contracts.
• Preparing import and export documentation.
• Executing and managing contracts locally & internationally as per contract terms.
• Managing stock position allocated to each trade.
• Reconciling all contracts daily.
• Nominating/liaison/negotiating with service providers (transporters, clearing & vessel agents, fumigation companies).
• Liaising with load points and managing the booking of trucks.
• Preparing of invoices for all trades executed as per contract terms.
• Administration: Capturing, storage and inventory.
• Liaising with agents / surveyors within AFRICA.
• Overseeing trade execution for AFRICA Trades.
• Requesting and compiling of rates.

In addition to the above duties under ETG COMMODITIES, I had involved myself in ETC AGRO’s desk by means of:

• Chartering Vessels with our freight desk.
• Planning of berthing schedules.
• Frequently communicating with the Treasury department on funding for programmes and discussions surrounding bank to bank channels.
• Working in accordance to L/C requirements.
• Drawing up of contracts in line with GAFTA & FOFSA regulations / compliance.
• Monitoring price fluctuations with the Commercial Team.
• Weekly reporting of PNLs to stakeholders on our Programme.

I was also a member of the below groups that form a part of the organizations CSR & Social development:

• ETG ARROWS COMMITTEE (CSR)
• ETG ENTERTAINERS COMMITTEE (SOCIAL)
• BOARD FOR EMPLOYMENT EQUITY. (CSR)

• Adhere to the company’s or organization’s clearing & forwarding, transport operations policies and procedures.
• Ensure contracts / shipments are executed in accordance with the service level agreement and standard operating procedure per customer.
• Handling of all export shipments / loads from first notification until the contract / shipment is executed in full in compliance with what was agreed with the customer.
• Compilation and processing estimates to the operations manager for every new contract / shipment, once approved the estimate must be sent to finance department and thereafter the contract should be prepared and sent out to the customer to sign.
• Execution plan must be compiled, and it must include target dates and service provider network.
• All contracts / shipments must be executed in strict compliance to budgeted expense to each supplier detailed on the estimate.
• Immediately raise any concerns with the operations manager for resolution.
• Sending out status reports to customers on every shipment in progress daily.
• Sailing & transport schedule and equipment to be agreed with the customer prior to placing any bookings.
• Submitting customs clearances.
• Invoicing.
• Recording of data such as estimates and final billings.
• Updating Milestones via our system to ensure no task is left abandoned.
• Daily reporting to all managers and stakeholders on our position
• Assisting in other departments when needed and at the direction of the operations manager.
• In addition to the above duties, I have also performed the below as assistance to my team:
• Assisted in Supervising the Sea Freight Exports Department. (3 staff)
• Selected to be involved in the interviewing process of candidates.
• Quality checking of entries prior final download to SARS to ensure regulations / compliance was adhered to.
• Assisted in Estimates / Quotations to clients for cross trade flows.
• Offered support and guidance on using CargoWise to its full potential.
• Visiting Warehouse/s & Port/s when needed for Supervision purposes / On the ground support.

Reason for resignation:

• Head-hunted by Seamaster’s Stake-holding company, ETC AGRO (PTY) LTD.

Generating and QC’ing of estimates to clients.

• Receiving new orders placed by clients to arrange with origin offices.
• Registering shipments, checking of documents and liaising with the necessary parties.
• Determining the mode of shipment cargo and need for special transport requirements.
• Liaising with service providers and overseas office/s to register the necessary shipment and arrange bookings, documents and to confirm the departure / loading details along with confirmed arrival / berthing details.
• Liaising with overseas offices on the preparation of shipment departure.
• Ensuring that cargo is collected and ready for carriage – ensuring that cargo is correctly labelled, packaged and packed.
• Preparing documentation and ensuring other offices submit relevant docs to the relevant parties. (As and when required)
• Follow up on customs releases, stops, detains and inform the client accordingly.
• Upon receipt of customs releases, prepare docs to send to SARS if hard copy releases are required (CN1).
• Updating clients on all delivery dates via status reports.
• Ensuring correct documents accompany the delivery of cargo.
• Ensuring PODs are received from transporters timeously.
• Regular liaison with clients.
• Ensuring statements are paid on time and client has all invoices and supporting documents to action payment.
• Timeously updating Purchase Order Management for our lead client.
• Arranging original copy docs to be batched and dispatched to clients if required.
• Regular liaison with Swazi Rail on railage of containers moving via a through-bill of lading.
• Pre-Alerting border agents to process import or export entries accordingly.
• Processing ERMs (Electronic Road Manifests) accordingly for live shipments.
• Requesting for guarantor approvals for overborder shipments.
• Ensuring acquittals are obtained within the expiration period and acquitted accordingly on CW.
• In addition to the above duties, I have also performed the below as assistance to my team:
• Offered guidance & training on how to process Electronic Manifests via CW.
• Providing training & support to our Intern Staff.
• Assisting in setting up auto-rating for various clients.
• Taken on Pharmaceutical Compliance training with DSV so that I would be legally equipped to handle shipments which contain products relating to the pharmaceutical sector.

Accomplishment within this department:

• Obtained Employee of the Month in Sept 2020 for all-round performance and assisting in client growth through means of Service, Quoting, Handling, etc
• Working on two of the largest revenue FMCG accounts in the branch – client/s to remain undisclosed.
• Being a part of the integration process & working and gaining experience on Purchase Order Management through handling the above mentioned.

Reason for resignation:

• A desire to grow and experience different environments and newfound challenges.

• Filing & registration.
• Track & trace / Requesting pre-alert documents from agents.
• Handing over shipments to numerous agents timeously.
• Receiving & splitting of original documents to controllers.
• EDocing / Uploading of PODs onto our system.
• Invoicing.
• Ensuring Milestones are met and updated.
• Liaising with entities such as port health, port officials & state vet when cargo is stopped / detained.
• Handling of forwarding & clearing shipments altogether.
• Liaising with Overseas entities / agents as part of the forwarding aspect.
• Booking of shipments with various airlines via telecom and online platforms.
• Planning transit times for cargo.
• Finalization of Original documents for Exports consignments.
• Continuous follow ups on shipments until it reaches its destination.
• Arranging inland haulage locally for all DSV branches in South Africa within the Kwa-Zulu Natal route.
• Providing estimates on Transport / Quotation to clients.
• Physically assisting on deliveries to customers when needed along with packing of export consignments.

In addition to the above listed duties, I had also performed the below as additional functions which aided in my quest in support of my department / organization by:

• Gaining client’s through means of sales tactics. Examples include by not limited to:
• A.) Turning handover clients into forwarding / clearing client’s by offering them / quoting them on our services.
• B.) Gaining leads through “Word of Mouth” and working through cold leads.
• Co-coordinating transportation for DSV South Africa, which is inclusive of JHB, CPT, PLZ and DUR. Upon handling the transportation, I had utilized our internal resources as opposed to third party sourcing and increased our GP for the year of 2017 by ZAR 60 000, as this money would’ve been outlaid to external transporters should we have used them. Thus, leading us to be more profitable as an organization.
• Being involved in performing Bill of Entry feedback reports on a weekly basis to stakeholders on behalf of my Manager – this was done to monitor our shipments and eradicate Audit Queries and acquit for needful entries.

Accomplishment within this department:

• Obtained Employee of the Month in Oct 2018 for Outstanding Service provided.
• Promotion was received on 1st of August 2018 as a “Freight Forwarder, Road/Overborder”.

• Filing & registration.
• Track & trace / Requesting pre-alert documents from agents.
• Handing over shipments to numerous agents timeously.
• Receiving & splitting of original documents to controllers.
• EDocing / Uploading of PODs onto our system.
• Invoicing.
• Ensuring Milestones are met and updated.
• Liaising with entities such as port health, port officials & state vet when cargo is stopped / detained.
• Handling of forwarding & clearing shipments altogether.
• Liaising with Overseas entities / agents as part of the forwarding aspect.
• Booking of shipments with various airlines via telecom and online platforms.
• Planning transit times for cargo.
• Finalization of Original documents for Exports consignments.
• Continuous follow ups on shipments until it reaches its destination.
• Arranging inland haulage locally for all DSV branches in South Africa within the Kwa-Zulu Natal route.
• Providing estimates on Transport / Quotation to clients.
• Physically assisting on deliveries to customers when needed along with packing of export consignments.

Promotion was received on 29th of March 2017 as a “Freight Forwarder Assistant, Air Import”.

• Filing & registration.
• Track & trace / Requesting SOB details from various shipping lines & agents.
• Handing over shipments to numerous agents timeously.
• Consolidating and organizing shipments with branch offices, suppliers and customers.
• Assisting in quotations to overseas offices & clients.
• Liaison with overseas offices on preparation of shipments.
• Preparing pre-& post shipment documentation.
• Requesting of landside charges from various shipping lines.
• Arranging & coordinating transportation.
• Processing of cargo dues.
• Invoicing.
• Timeous follow up’s on payments due to the necessary parties.
• Physically assisting on deliveries to customers when needed.

Contract Extended for another year as a “Learnership” under Air Freight Operations after DSV AIR & SEA had acquired UTI Worldwide.