When Mike Llewellyn established EFM Global just over 25 years ago in June 2000, his intention was to deliver the tight delivery windows required by the live music industry during international concert tours. From this seed, EFM Global has blossomed into a multifaceted operation comprising specialist teams across the likes of film and television, sports, exhibitions, and more. On the back of his second straight win in this programme, we caught up with Mike for more on his standout work. Global Events Logistics MD of the Year 2025: Michael Llewellyn Comprising a team of experts in global event logistics, EFM Global has stood as a beacon of trust in this space for more than a quarter of a century. Mike and his team never simply ‘take on’ a project, they commit wholeheartedly to it, leveraging their knowledge of everything from initial consultation and planning advice, documentation and liaising with customs and local authorities to deliver a seamless doorto-door shipping service that sees events and productions go off without a hitch. Their ability to do so is reflected through the prestigious clients they have secured over the years, including handling more than 540,000 metric tonnes of music and production equipment for Rammstein’s 2022 stadium tour of the US and Europe. 2025 has already seen EFM work with artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Teddy Swims, Linkin Park, Yungblud, Kraftwerk, Slipknot, The 1975, My Chemical Romance, Stormzy, Bring Me The Horizon, and so many more._The success of . working with Iron Maiden on their “Run For Your Lives World Tour”, which started earlier this year, will run into 2026. EFM Global has just completed working on the incredibly complex production of an upcoming Hollywood movie. Challenges included contracting and managing nine air charters, eight freight and one passenger. Mike, who personally managed this project, said that having to turn the West Saharan airport Dakhla, a small passenger airport, into one capable of operating wide-bodied freight charters was the most challenging project he has ever worked on. This included arranging for equipment to be transported by road from an alternate airport 550kms away, providing dogs to secure the freight and flying in EFM crew and specialist dangerous goods personnel. Additional notable projects for EFM Global have included helping FIFA with international freight shipments for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, arranging the door-to-door transportation of 16 brand-new Maseratis from the factory in Italy to an event in Oman, and even transporting NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope from its assembly point in California to the launch site in French Guiana. The latter is the most expensive piece of equipment to ever be shipped, a major accomplishment for EFM Global. Supporting Mike is the rest of the team at EFM Global as they blaze this trail, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, and the company’s global headquarters being right here in the UK, in Surrey. Despite being spread across the world, teams are united under ‘The EFM Way’, a set of values sourced from employees about what it means to work for the company. Displayed in the reception areas of its offices, examples include always putting the customer first and always delivering excellence. As the MD of EFM Global, Mike embodies these ideals daily. However, more than this, what Mike brings to the table – aside from strategic insight and leadership prowess – is passion. Mike initially wanted to be a recording artist, but when the break never came, he channelled his love of music into something more practical, a small company by the name of CDisc Express. The idea was that customers would pay an annual subscription, and have almost any CD delivered to their home for less than it cost in-store. “The company was starting to do well, but I wasn’t earning enough to live off the income. I closed it with a small profit in 1992,_ Jeff Bezos – with the benefit of the fledgling internet, started Amazon in 1994 with a similar concept. I was two years too early.” Prior to all of this, Mike had been supporting his musical dreams with a job at Heathrow Airport, working in the warehouse for Lufthansa before joining All Nippon in a sales capacity. It was during this time that Mike would visit a client who was responsible for transporting the equipment of bands around the world. Once CDisc Express ended, Mike had the idea to afford the same quality of service being offered to the music industry to other entertainment verticals such as Sport, Theatre and TV & Film. Seven years in, Mike realised that the only way to truly deliver what he intended was to go solo with his own events logistics business, and the rest is history. Contact: Mike Llewellyn Company: EFM Global Web Address: efm.global AIM-Jul25154
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