Steve Jordan talks to Philippa Robinson as she settles into her role as the president of OMNI.
Philippa Robinson, from Robinsons International in the UK, has recently taken over as the president of OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International). OMNI has been around since the middle 1980s and has become well known as a network of some of the leading moving companies in the world. They all trade with each other, though not necessarily exclusively, and get together once a year for the OMNI conference of business owners and senior managers in which they can learn from each other and exchange business in a relaxed setting.
She represents the fourth generation of her family business. Her father, Peter, many will know as a past president of FIDI. She runs the business with her brother, Anthony.
Philippa explained that while growing up she never had any intention of joining the moving industry. “Anthony would work on the trucks in the school holidays, but I would do waitressing and babysitting,” she said. After completing her A-Levels, however, she did attend the OMNI and FIDI conferences and really enjoyed the interaction with the people.
It was Tom Ansley, from Elliotts in South Africa, who opened her eyes to the industry as a career. After finishing her degree in geography, she worked for Tom in Johannesburg. “Tom had been a teacher and training was an important part of the business. I was there for nearly a year and loved it.” On her return, she joined the family business ...
Photo: Philippa Robinson.