The two shirt sleeved bosses planning their next move at the Company’s headquarters.
Derek W. Johnson
As a child, Derek spent much of his free time on the London Dockside, watching ships come and go from all over the world an interest that led him, at the age of 15, to join ‘United States Lines’ as an Office Junior. Taking two years out for National Service, Derek spent 12 years gaining valuable experience in every department — from selling and accounts to freight control and operations, eventually progressing to Assistant to the U.K. District Freight Manager. In 1966 he left to join Ferrymasters Ltd. — the U.K. Agent for Sea-Land Service Inc., with whom he became a direct employee in 1968 in the capacity of Assistant General Manager — U.K. Two years later, Derek moved up again — this time to the post of Director of Sales and Marketing at Systems Interfreight Ltd — a wholly owned subsidiary of American Export Isbrandtsen Lines Inc., soon to become American Export Lines Inc., where he worked for six years in close connection with his future partner Torn Bax-Stevens, before leaving in 1976 to set up a liner agency. Johnsons Stevens International Forwarding Ltd was incorporated in 1978 and established as JS Forwarding in 1983.
Tom Bax-Stevens
Tom was born in 1932. in Java (formerly Netherlands East Indies) and spent. several years as a child in a concentration camp during the Japanese occupation. After a brief recuperation period in Holland, the family moved back to Indonesia and Tom resumed his education — later returning to the Netherlands to take up a place at a Maritime Academy. From there he went to sea as a cadet on general cargo vessels, until he eventually settled down and married in the United States, joining Sea-Land Service Inc in San Francisco as a sales representative, in 1961 and progressing through the various ranks of Sales Management. He left New York in 1969 as North Eastern Regional Sales Manager for the European Division, and headed homewards to Amsterdam and then on-to Brussels, the successive headquarters of American Export Isbrandtsen Line Inc. In 1970, the Company opened a new branch in London under the name of Systems Inter-freight Ltd., where Torn was to become Managing Director. He was also instrumental in encouraging Derek Johnson to take up the post of Director of Sales and Marketing — North Europe. It was’nt until six years later that Tom left American Export Lines Inc — this time to set up their liner agency which evolved into our Worldwide freight forwarding company you know today.
Special thanks also to Steve Horan, Chris Gant and Donna Mortimore for their active duty building the company up and making it what it is today.