From summer employee to successful businesswoman

"Challenging, interesting, awesome," that's how Andrine Higgins describes her experience in the shipping industry to date.

"I have worked in shipping all my life. I eat, sleep and breathe shipping," said Higgins.

Poised at 5'1", she doesn't look much different from the jovial Kingston Technical High School student who got her first taste of the work world in the shipping industry in 1988. Higgins, who now owns her own company, was part of a group of students employed through the Shipping Association of Jamaica's Summer Employment Programme.

"I was interviewed by the late Pauline Gray and placed at Jamaica Freight and Shipping Company Limited," Higgins recalled. She noted that her aim during the summer of 1988 was to practise good work ethic and prove her worth.

Her hard work did not go unnoticed, as when she graduated from high school in 1989, she was welcomed back into the family at Jamaica Freight. She worked at Jamaica Freight until 1995, having started out in the accounts department, then the freight department and finally, the customer service department.

"That (customer service) is where the real meat of the matter began. I got to interface more with customers. It was my opportunity to shine," Higgins said, smiling at the memory.

"Jamaica Freight is the school of shipping. You learn a little of everything there," she added. Not only did she learn the ins and outs of the shipping business at Jamaica Freight, but she also formed a lifelong friendship with Renee Garel-Williams. The two have been friends since 1989.

Andrine later worked with two other companies in the shipping industry until 2003. "That year was my turning point," she surmised. "I have an entrepreneurial spirit about me. I saw the opportunity and, as a young woman, I wanted to start something for myself," she said.

Later that year, APL Freight and Company Limited was formed. The company offers shipping services from the Far East, Panama and North America. Door-to-door as well as DHL services are also available.

Personalised service

She said her aim was to provide a more personalised, one-on-one service to customers. "I have come to realise that persons of Caribbean culture like a more personalised service. We don't like machines, we like to speak to humans," Higgins said. This human-to-human communication, she said, is what made her business stand out.

Admitting that the shipping industry is widely viewed as a boys' club, and does pose challenges for women, Higgins said she wasn't fazed by this. "You have to work twice as hard for people to take you seriously. You have to go about it in a professional manner. Once people recognise that you are serious, respect will come," Higgins said, adding that you have to let people know what you stand for.

Notwithstanding the challenges, Higgins said she would encourage women not to be afraid to enter the industry.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Higgins said. She noted that networking is of extreme importance in the industry. "Once you get in the business of shipping, you can't just sit in your corner, if you do you're not going to get anywhere."

She further advised that it is important to know your business. "Roll up your sleeves when you need to and get involved," she said.

Andrine is married to Peter Higgins and has two daughters: Lauren and Peter-Ann.