This year, Gary Maguire celebrates an incredible 35 years with Crown. During that time, he has seen the company grow, adapt and evolve, while building a distinguished career that has taken him from his early days at Crown to his current role as Chief Risk Officer.
Known for his commitment to doing the right thing, Gary has helped strengthen Crown’s approach to governance, ethics, compliance and sustainability, supporting the business through decades of change.
We caught up with Gary to look back on some of his favourite memories, the lessons he’s learned along the way, his achievements, and the people and experiences that have made his Crown journey so rewarding.
Congratulations on 35 years at Crown. Can you take us back to your first day? Did you imagine you would still be here 35 years later?
Thanks very much. Absolutely not! I had begun in the logistics industry with Evergreen Shipping Line, in Los Angeles. My grandfather was a Marine Surveyor, and I used to visit the Port of Los Angeles with him when I was young. I found being at a port and seeing the big cargo ships exciting and interesting. My work with Evergreen took me right into those same places and gave me the same feelings I felt as a kid. When I decided to cross over from the shipping line to the forwarding side of the industry, it brought me to Crown (actually Dean Worldwide at the time). I was interested in expanding my experience in the logistics industry and Crown gave me that opportunity.
My first role at Crown involved managing the loading and shipping of classic European sports cars to Europe predominantly from California. It was a very niche and interesting business that did very well for Crown for several years. The role taught me all the tactical aspects of the forwarding business I was looking for at the time.
But did I think I would be with Crown for 35 years? Not at all. Who stays with one company for 35 years? It is unheard of especially in today’s world. What has kept me here is the way my career has continually evolved, with opportunities to grow and develop in areas of the business I never expected to be involved in.
What have been the most rewarding aspects of your career journey?
The most rewarding has been the tremendous number of opportunities I have had traveling to so many countries, working with people around the world and learning so much about all the diverse cultures I have engaged with. These experiences have shaped my worldview and made me very open-minded and appreciative of all the diversity around us. Another rewarding aspect has been how much my professional knowledge has evolved through all the roles I have had with the company. I started as an operations and forwarding coordinator, moved into branch and regional country management, then into quality management, expanding to include risk management, and then adding captive insurance company management, compliance, supply-chain management, and membership of Crown’s Executive Leadership Team. It has been extremely rewarding to expand my knowledge in all these areas during my career with just one company.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen at Crown over the past three and a half decades?
The biggest changes relate to the evolution of the services provided under the Crown Worldwide Group umbrella and the operations we have around the world. When I first came to Crown, we only provided international moving services with a presence in the USA and Asia. Overtime through acquisitions and consolidations, we built a true global business with an unmatched network of operations.
We diversified into Information Management when geopolitical changes impacted the international moving business. The storage of physical records became a stable and complementary service that aligned well with our existing capabilities. As global mobility evolved, we expanded into relocation management and destination services to support organisations investing in international talent. Fine Art handling and Workspace management services followed as part of our ongoing strategy to diversify Crown’s global offering and adapt to changing market needs. Looking ahead, I expect to see further diversification that continues to leverage our global property assets and strengths.
Risk, governance, ethics, and compliance can be challenging areas. What has guided your approach throughout your career?
I feel that due to my professional career really starting with Crown, and gaining experience related to the tactical aspects of our business from the ground up, paired with my knowledge of the company culture, has uniquely positioned me to fully understand Crown’s risk appetite. Having this experience and clear understanding has given me the ability to ensure that we develop and implement our risk management, ethics and compliance policies and procedures in a manner that supports our business needs, our client expectations, and the regulatory frameworks we operate under around the world in a way that supports our continued success as an organization.
What lessons have you learned from working across different regions, markets, and business environments?
To succeed in whatever role you have with a global organization it is of utmost importance to ensure you learn about, respect and adapt to all the cultures you encounter, regardless of whether that contact is with internal colleagues or external clients. There is no single way of communicating or managing that will be effective across all regions, markets and business environments. The more you are aware of what the customs, norms, mannerisms and expectations are in the countries you operate in, the more effective you will be in accomplishing the objectives you have.
Finally, what does reaching 35 years with Crown mean to you personally?
Beyond the fact that it means I’m becoming an old man, it means I have been successful in finding a career which has kept expanding my knowledge, provided me with tremendous growth opportunities, maintained my enthusiasm and allowed me to support my family. It just so happens that all of this has occurred with just one company throughout my career. I attribute a large amount of this accomplishment to Crown, as a company, for giving me all the opportunity to grow and maintaining my enthusiasm to stay with the company through both the company culture and the rewarding experiences of traveling and working with all of the people around the world that I have.
As we celebrate Gary’s 35 years with Crown, we are grateful to him for his commitment, integrity and leadership, and for the lasting impact he has made on the business and the people who work here.
Thank you, Gary, for everything you have contributed to Crown, and congratulations on an extraordinary career journey so far.
