Clive Coke elected MD of international custom brokers association

Local customs brokers have lauded the election of Clive Coke, the president of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica (CBFFAJ) as a managing director of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations (IFCBA) as a major achievement that will place Jamaica at the core of global decision-making on the movement and customs clearance of goods in trade jurisdictions around the world.

Coke is joining representatives from Canada, India, Australia, China, Japan and the United States on the board of the IFCBA, which comprises global thought leaders and business owners in customs brokering and currently holds the chair of the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) at the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

“Our president’s election to the IFCBA board opens up direct working relationships at the WCO and takes the position of Jamaica and our members directly to the policy-makers in Brussels,” said Christopher Kennedy, past president of CBFFAJ and managing director of Eagle and Whale Customs Brokers.

Kennedy’s sentiments were shared by customs brokers and CBFFAJ executives, Hazelyn Brown and Leon Smith. “Clive is an excellent leader, whose inclusiveness and great communications and negotiations skills are giving us more visibility on the global platform. His professionalism and diplomacy are real assets,” affirmed Brown.

“He is committed, invested and passionate and continues to lead with integrity - Clive Coke’s election has put Jamaica at the forefront of logistics trends globally,” added Smith.

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Coke, who has been president of the CBFFAJ since 2020, has been instrumental in the design and implementation of a Learning and Knowledge Management Series to keep Jamaican Customs Brokers updated on technical subject matter and developments pertaining to global trade and customs clearance. This professional development and lifelong learning initiative was acclaimed at the IFCBA’s international post-COVID Conference in Singapore in December 2022.

“Professional credentials are important to our members. The CBFFAJ intends to leverage globally accredited programmes into the Jamaican and Caribbean space; we want as best as possible for these programmes to be flexible and customised to meet the requirements of our learners,” said Coke to the global conference.

“This is a great opportunity for Clive to share his knowledge, professionalism and enthusiasm with fellow Customs brokers around the world and to do what he loves to do, influence positive change”, said Carol West, the secretary-general of the Ottawa-based IFCBA in a congratulatory message to the CBFFAJ. “I am thrilled to work closely with him on our many areas of mutual interest in the Caribbean region and beyond,” she added.

Coke is the managing director of WorldTrade e-Logistics Jamaica, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean and an MBA from the Chapman Graduate School of Business at Florida International University.