MEET SARAHJANE LOW

HEAD OF SALES

In this edition of KC Unpacked, we chat with Sarahjane Low, who plays a key role in shaping client relationships, commercial strategy, and the collaborative culture that defines KC Group Shipping. As Head of Sales and a member of the leadership team, Sarahjane brings extensive industry experience, a people-first mindset, and a commitment to building trusted partnerships that go far beyond the movement of goods.

Here, Sarahjane reflects on her career journey, the importance of sector understanding, and how trust, communication, and collaboration help KC support clients through complex logistics challenges.

In Conversation with Sarahjane Low

Welcome to KC Unpacked, Sarahjane.

What first sparked your interest in logistics, and how did your career journey begin?

Logistics has always been familiar to me, as my dad worked in the industry, so I was introduced to the world of freight and supply chains from an early age. It naturally became something I was curious about, and once I entered the industry professionally, I quickly realised just how dynamic and varied it is.

I began my career with TNT, spending 23 years there and developing my experience across the logistics sector. That gave me an incredibly strong foundation, not just in operations and commercial delivery, but in understanding how important relationships, reliability, and problem-solving are in this industry.

No two days are ever the same, and I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed so passionate about the industry and what we do.

What is it about logistics that has kept you engaged throughout your career?

As mentioned, no two days are ever the same, and the variety is a huge part of it for me.

Logistics is one of those industries where there is always something happening, something changing, or a challenge to solve. From supporting the movement of time-critical, oversized machinery offshore to planning the logistics and paperwork for duty-suspended alcohol across the globe, you certainly need experience to navigate complexity, adapt quickly, and keep clients moving with confidence.

I’ve always been motivated by the impact our work has on our clients. Behind every shipment is a business operation, a customer commitment, a production schedule, or a commercial pressure point.

You’re helping clients keep their businesses operating, protecting timelines, and often helping them avoid disruption.

That responsibility makes the role incredibly rewarding.

As Head of Sales, how do you define the role of sales at KC Group Shipping?

For me, commercial success comes from properly understanding clients, not simply from chasing transactions.

It’s about aligning with a company’s operations, addressing challenges, mitigating risks through compliance processes, and accounting for commercial realities, then helping clients find the right solution.

In my experience, a transactional sales approach never builds trust or sustained relationships.

The strongest client relationships are built when you become a trusted extension of their operation, not simply an external supplier.

That means asking the right questions, understanding what matters operationally, recognising risks, and making sure our wider team is aligned to deliver what’s needed.

At KC, trust is built through structure, transparency, and consistency, also through people taking the time to genuinely get to know the businesses they support. From the first enquiry, we work to understand each client’s operation, products, pressures, and requirements, so the relationship starts from a place of clarity and confidence.

A key part of this is our onboarding process, where we take time to map out each client’s needs through detailed conversations and clear documentation.

This ensures expectations are aligned, regulatory requirements are understood, and all operational specifics are documented from the start, which helps us avoid surprises further down the line.

KC supports clients across multiple sectors. How important is sector understanding in your role?

It’s absolutely critical. Different industries operate under very different pressures, regulations, timelines, and expectations.

Supporting a drinks client with excise considerations and movement guarantees is very different from supporting pharmaceutical supply chains, FMCG distribution, or complex project cargo consignments.

If you don’t understand the environment your client operates within, you can’t genuinely add value.

That’s why we focus on listening, learning, and immersing ourselves in the sectors we support. To build sector-specific expertise, we built our In-House Learning and Development portal, which provides our team with sector and industry-specific training programs. We attend key trade events and participate in client-led workshops where we can learn directly from the businesses we partner with.

We also encourage regular knowledge-sharing sessions within our team, so that insights from different projects and sectors are shared quickly and efficiently. These methods help us create commercially viable, compliant, and practical solutions that genuinely fit the client’s world.

That’s when the relationship changes. Clients stop simply asking us to move goods and start asking what works, what the best approach is, what risks they should be considering, and how to navigate compliance properly. That’s a very different kind of relationship and exactly the kind of trust we work hard to build.

What does great client service look like to you?

Confidence. Clients should feel confident that we understand what they need, that we’ve considered the risks, and that the wider KC team is working collectively in their best interests.

People remember great service when it's proactive rather than reactive.

It’s honest communication, transparency when challenges arise, and making sure clients never feel like they’re navigating issues alone.

Some of the strongest client relationships are built not when everything goes perfectly, but when challenges happen, and you demonstrate how you respond.

That’s what people remember.

As part of the leadership team, what are you focused on beyond sales performance?

People, culture, and consistency.

Commercial performance matters, of course, but sustainable success comes from having the right people, the right behaviours, and the right approach.

I’m passionate about being part of a leadership team that reinforces that sales and account management are only one part of the client journey. The experience clients remember is shaped by everyone.

Success isn’t simply winning new business. It’s about ensuring that what we promise aligns with the final delivery, and every client experience in between, collaborating closely with operational teams, and maintaining the standards clients expect from us.

When that alignment exists, clients feel it — and so do the teams supporting them.

How does BeKC influence the way you and your team work?

BeKC helps create consistency in behaviours and expectations.

It reinforces that how we work, communicate and support clients matters just as much as delivering their consignments.

For me, that means respect, teamwork, accountability, communication, and a genuine willingness to support colleagues and clients alike. Culture is far more than a business initiative or words on a wall. It comes down to personal responsibility, shared standards, and a collective commitment to doing things — and building relationships — the right way.

That’s what BeKC is. Around the business, we often say, “Do it the KC way,” and for me, that really captures the mindset.

Logistics can be complex and unpredictable. How do you help clients navigate that?

It starts with honesty. Experience and preparation reduce risk, but unpredictability can never be completely removed from global logistics. Transparency, open communication, and practical guidance are essential when challenges arise.

Global logistics is influenced by many external factors; we’ve all seen that over the years. Global events, conflicts, and environmental challenges can all affect how goods move.

Add to this the changing landscape of customs, regulations, and route constraints, and you start to see how being prepared is essential.

You can’t always control every variable, but you can control how well you plan, communicate, and respond.

Sometimes our role is to solve the problem before it becomes visible. Other times it’s about adapting quickly and keeping the client informed with clarity and confidence.

That reassurance matters. Whether it’s responsive rerouting, temporary warehousing, or quick adaptation to unexpected disruptions, we work closely with our operations teams to give clients clear options, practical guidance, and confidence in the decisions being made. No client should ever feel like they are left to navigate those moments alone.

What has been one of the most rewarding parts of your career?

I’ve always enjoyed building relationships with clients throughout my career and supporting people. Seeing colleagues develop and grow is one of the most rewarding aspects of my time at KC.

Sharing experience, mentoring others, and helping people build confidence in themselves and their roles is something I genuinely care about. Watching someone grow in confidence, solve problems, and realise what they’re capable of is incredibly rewarding.

The logistics industry can be demanding, so creating an environment where people feel supported and able to succeed makes a real difference.

FINALLY.

Let's unpack KC a little more —

What does being part of KC Group Shipping mean to you?

For me, it’s about people, trust, and shared ambition.

KC has a strong reputation, but reputations are built by people — through the way we communicate, how we solve problems, and how consistently we show up for clients and each other.

Being part of KC means being part of a team that genuinely cares about delivering the right outcomes, building
long-term partnerships, and continuously improving.

That sense of collective responsibility is one of the things I value most about being part of KC.