PD Ports

Len Overton, Senior Commercial Manager was delighted to welcome Cllr. Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, and North Lincolnshire councillor Josh Walshe to Groveport yesterday afternoon, a key inland port within our Humber cluster.

The visit was a valuable opportunity to discuss how national and international policies affect our industry, and how we support our customers in navigating them.

As well as showcasing the site and upcoming improvements to our infrastructure, highlighting opportunities for growth on the Humber.

We also discussed how we can continue to be involved in supporting the local area, including joining committees to ensure our voices are heard, positively affect change and support local community initiatives.

We look forward to further collaboration with North Lincolnshire Council in the near future.

Meet Rachel, Business Unit Director – Unitised who joined the business in 2020 after 20 years in the logistics sector, looking for a new challenge that would allow her to continue her development.

Rachel’s career path started with a weekend job in a flower supplier’s warehouse, sparking an interest in logistics and winning her a place on a competitive graduate scheme with M&S Food supplier Gist.

Moving through the ranks at Gist meant regular relocations to depots across the UK, as team leader, shift manager, ops manager and transport planner before taking over as General Manager at some of the depots.

After 17 years with Gist the relocations and 24/7 high-pressure, Rachel was ready for a change and relocated to the North-East for a fresh start.

A stint at PHS brought experience in multi-drop van deliveries but even more travelling. “I wanted something closer to home, a business with growth potential where I’d still have the chance to develop and learn new things,” she says.

Enter PD Ports and a role in the logistics team, as it was then known, to grow the division. In 2024, the opportunity for another move was presented to Rachel – to lead Unitised. “That was an almost scary prospect, not having come from a port background,” she admits.

“It’s at 2am when you’re stood in a refrigerated warehouse with everything going wrong and no one else around that you’ll really learn what you’re capable of.”

To find out more about Rachel's career journey visit www.pdports.co.uk/careers/stories/rachel-beeken/ and keep an eye out for more stories like this one throughout the week as we celebrate National Careers Week!