First up, we spoke to Sandra Williamson, one of our Logistics Coordinators. For a number of our UK based clients, Sandra may be the person you’ve been dealing with most and is the person tasked with coordinating the transport, packing and storing of all your prized possessions in and around the UK.

Sandra has two young daughters, so is no stranger to juggling competing priorities. And in case you thought it was all art logistics, she also loves to sing acoustic and musical opera style music in her spare time.

We asked Sandra a few quick questions that we thought would give you an insight into what it’s like working in art logistics. First up;

How did you get into the art logistics industry?

Before building up over 10 years worth of experience in the art industry, my first role was when I was seventeen years old – I worked as a receptionist for a high-end international skincare brand. After a few months in that position, I was promoted to Logistics Administrator, responsible for processing orders from over 70 luxury spas across the globe.

It was probably at this point I realised that not only did I love working in logistics (who’d have thought!)  and coordinating numerous orders and deliveries from all corners of the globe but I also realised that I found it so rewarding to see a project through from start to finish. It’s my name on the sign-off and it’s really very important to me that every little detail is checked and re-checked. Needless to say, my love for Logistics began there.

How do you get ready to start your day? 

I am the main communicator between our technicians, office staff and most importantly our clients. The start of my day involves going through any emails that may have come in overnight. Once completed, I ensure our technicians are fully briefed on the day/days ahead. This could be discussions around equipment and packing preparation or important timings and deadlines for certain shipments. All this information is then stored centrally and can be edited in real-time. This means that, if our clients have any fast-changing requests, we can build these into the shipment quickly and change plans accordingly. 

What does an ‘average’ day working in art logistics look like for you? 

My top priority is ensuring replies to all clients are met promptly and in full, making sure estimates are sent out as soon as possible. There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting for a company to get back to you.

Through our cloud-based platforms, I ensure technicians are kept up to date regularly with any changes or intricate details involved in their bookings, and I use our vehicle tracking system to monitor the location and security of our fleet throughout the day.

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

Throughout my career, I’ve worked in account management and project management – they’re two such different areas, yet they constantly overlap. For example, interior design projects and major art fairs both have their challenges but if the shipping, transport and logistics coordination doesn’t run professionally, the rest of the project will also slip. It’s my job to make sure this doesn’t happen, and I really take pride in that.

I love the end-to-end nature of working in logistics, building strong relationships with clients along the way. I find that very rewarding. 

If you think that Sandra may be able to assist you with an up and coming project, you can email Sandra at Sandra@queensfineart.com or our expert team at info@queensfineart.com.

So, in celebration of International Woman’s day, we spoke to our Shipping Manager, Carola Quirico, to find out what it’s like to be a woman building a career in shipping and art logistics. And we also wanted to share some top tips for women thinking about starting a career within the industry.

As usual, first up, we asked;

How did you get into shipping artworks?

It may sound cliche for someone who works within the ‘art world’ but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved art. As a child, my mother used to take my brothers and me to visit museums almost every Sunday . Also, at university, I studied Art and Art Exhibition Management. Thus, it’s always been an area that I’ve been interested in and, luckily, felt accepted in. Even when I was younger, I never felt that, by being a woman, I’d be held back within the industry. But that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been challenges along the way.

I always thought that I wanted to be a museum courier, which would allow me to travel around the world with artworks (my dream come true!) but my first job was as an internship at the Academia Carrara in Bergamo, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I then secured the role of the Gallery Registrar at Massimo de Carlo.

It was during that job that I realised that not only do I really enjoy the challenge of moving art to different locations and managing multiple projects at once, but I also realised early on in my career that I really thrive on working with lots of different people. So, when I got the opportunity to be the Shipping Manager at Queen’s, I jumped at the chance.

What’s it like being a woman working in shipping?

I have to say there are lots of women working in the industry. But maybe that’s because we are quite good at juggling between multiple tasks and nothing goes unchecked or unthought of! However, on a more serious note, there aren’t as many women as I’d like to see in the senior roles. I think that’s something we, as an industry, need to work on.

Of course, I don’t believe that companies should just hire more women into senior roles because that’s not going to solve anything. But I do think it’s very important to create a culture where women can thrive in leadership roles. For example by offering home working, flexible hours, and access to training. That’s something that I’ve found Queen’s to be very good at. But it’s not always the case across the industry and I know friends in roles with much less flexibility and support.

I think that’s really an area as an industry we need to improve on. We should all be open to discussion on how we can improve things for both men and women, as that’s how we get the best of everybody. Thus, it’s important that we keep talking about topics such as this even after International Women’s Day.

What do you enjoy most about shipping artworks?

I absolutely love a challenge. Give me the challenge to ship a big painting to the other side of the world as soon as possible or ask me a tricky import/export Customs question, and I will be the happiest person on earth, truly!

One thing I love about my job in art shipping is that it’s never the same. Every day we transport unique works and I very much like the problem-solving aspect to working as a Shipping Manager. I find it extremely satisfying when the shipment arrives at the destination on time and when the client is happy and satisfied. As they say, a happy client, a happy life!

Any top tips for women looking to get into the industry?

We’ve got it, ladies! If you’re thinking about working in art shipping, I’d say just give it a go and, as I’m sure you will, give it your best shot. Believe that you can make the difference and that your ideas are just as valid as everyone else’s because they are.

I’d also say to make sure to research the culture of the company you want to join as well. Because it’s extremely important that you enjoy where you work and who you work with. Stand up for change and call out any behaviours or comments that are outdated and unnecessary.

Many people often make quick comments subconsciously and without purposefully meaning to be offensive. So I find it’s always important to call things out calmly and discreetly, before anything snowballs. That way, you can make sure that we’re all moving in the right direction. We’re all learning as we go, so it’s important to keep talking.

Technology is a wonderful thing

As a relatively young company (founded in 2018), Queen’s has always been keen to adopt new technologies into its working practices. However, there’s no doubt that this has been accelerated across the board by the need to keep teams connected whilst out of the office for weeks at a time. Without Zoom, Whatsapp, Trello, and a host of internal tools completing the most basic of tasks would have been considerably more complicated once I no longer sat across the desk from my colleagues.

Webinars have their place

With so much changing over the last year, we’ve been really keen to keep our clients as up-to-date as possible. Personally, I still preferred the few in-person seminars we held at our offices this summer, but with over 100 clients dialing into our webinars there was clearly a need to keep everyone informed whilst restrictions were in place.

I don’t miss the commute

In choosing to work from home three days per week, I save more than 24 hours in time previously spent commuting from my home to our office in Fitzrovia. It’s been amazing to have this additional time to spend with my daughters, Mila and Adaline, even if it does mean I’m the one rushing them out of the house for the school run each morning. And that’s not to mention the financial saving, though I do sometimes miss my morning coffee on my walk to the station.

Recruiting over Zoom isn’t always easy

Our team has doubled in size since I joined with a further three new starters lined up to join us in January. This has meant an almost constant stream of interviews, most of which have had to take place virtually. It’s not always the most comfortable of formats, especially when meeting someone for the first time, so I’ve tried wherever possible to host second and final stage interviews in person, at our office.

Nothing beats face to face

As easy as the transition to flexible working has been made, and as much as I enjoy an extra half an hour with my girls each evening, there’s nothing quite like meeting with colleagues and catching up with clients in person. With the majority of the company choosing to work on average two days per week from home, we try to coordinate being in the office as a team as much as possible. The ideas that spring from casual conversation are often the most valuable; James, our Marketing Manager, even convinced me to write this blog whilst we made our morning coffees.

Looking to join the team at Queen’s? You can see our open roles here. For all shipping, packaging, and logistics support, your Queen’s contact remains at your disposal. Alternatively, email info@queensfineart.com