Trade Compliance Team of the Year

This award recognises an outstanding in-house trade compliance team that has demonstrated excellence in supporting its organisation through professional expertise, strong stakeholder engagement and a commitment to good governance. 

The winning team will show how it has built trust and influence across the business while helping the organisation navigate an increasingly complex global trade environment. Judges will look for evidence of a collaborative, resilient and high-performing team that manages trade compliance risk effectively, supports business objectives and promotes a strong culture of compliance and accountability.

Eligibility

  • Open to in-house trade compliance teams operating within organisations conducting international trade activities. 
  • Entries must reflect activity, achievements and impact within the last 12-18 months. 
  • Teams must be based in or have responsibility for operations within Europe. 
  • Entries should focus on the team's overall performance, effectiveness and contribution to the organisation rather than a single project, initiative or implementation. 
  • Outsourced trade compliance functions, managed service providers and third-party teams are not eligible.

Criteria

  • Your submission needs to respond to the 3 criteria sections: Spirit, Approach and Outcome.
  • You will be awarded a maximum of 10 points per section (30 points in total).
  • Questions are suggested in each criteria section. These are prompts to help you think about the evidence that will help judges to best assess your entry. You do not need to address all questions, please use them as a guide.
  • The 4th criteria section Validation is optional and is your opportunity to provide supporting documents to further demonstrate to judges why your submission should win. You can submit up to 3 supporting documents.  

 

Spirit:  Introduce your team, including its size, structure and scope of responsibility

Please provide details such as:

  • A brief overview of the team’s size, scope, and role within the wider organisation, including any global or regional responsibilities 
  • The business or regulatory context in which the team has been operating, including any geopolitical, sector-specific, or supply chain-related challenges 
  • The team’s strategic objectives over the last 12-18 months, and how these align with broader business goals 
  • Key drivers for change or improvement, such as regulatory updates, internal audits, risk events or business expansion into new markets

 

Approach: Describe how the team has demonstrated excellence, innovation and leadership

Please address some or all of the following:

  • Specific initiatives, projects, or process improvements led by the team to strengthen trade compliance across the organisation 
  • How the team has supported business operations while ensuring regulatory alignment – balancing commercial needs with compliance obligations 
  • Examples of collaboration with internal stakeholders (eg legal, procurement, logistics, finance) or external partners (eg customs authorities, regulators). 
  • The team’s approach to training, upskilling, and knowledge-sharing to build awareness and capability across the business 
  • Any standout examples of agility, creativity or resilience in responding to complex or fast-changing trade compliance challenges

 

Outcome: Share the results and impact of your work.

Please share any examples such as: 

  • Specific achievements that demonstrate the team’s effectiveness, such as reduced risk exposure, improved audit outcomes or enhanced operational efficiency 
  • Quantitative or qualitative evidence of success, including metrics, feedback or business impact 
  • How the team’s work has contributed to a stronger compliance culture or improved governance across the organisation 
  • Any long-term benefits or sustainability plans to build on the team’s success and continue evolving trade compliance practices 

 

Validation (Optional): Support your entry with any further information to show the judges why your team should win

Examples include:

  • Short testimonials (100 words maximum each) from internal stakeholders, business leaders or executive sponsors 
  • Internal feedback or stakeholder satisfaction results 
  • Audit findings, assurance reviews or independent assessments 
  • External recognition received by the team 
  • You may submit up to three supporting documents for this section