Rick Burrows
With over 25 years of experience in customs and international trade, I bring practical expertise to every aspect of customs operations. My work spans compliance, governance, strategy, and operational efficiency, ensuring businesses stay both compliant and competitive.
I began my career at HMRC’s Large Business Service, where I worked with some of the world’s leading multinational companies. During this time, I gained valuable insight into how customs authorities operate and, more importantly, how businesses can work effectively within that framework.
After leaving HMRC, I transitioned into in-house customs and trade compliance roles with major global organisations. In these positions, I developed and implemented strategies that improved compliance, reduced risk, and delivered measurable cost savings. As a result, I helped organisations build stronger, more efficient customs functions.
In addition, I’ve led large customs brokerage teams, guiding them through complex regulatory environments, such as Brexit while maintaining a sharp focus on accuracy, efficiency, and outstanding customer service. Through this experience, I’ve learned how to balance compliance demands with commercial needs.
This combination of public sector insight and private sector delivery provides a unique advantage. Because I understand both perspectives, I can help businesses simplify customs, identify opportunities for improvement, and unlock real financial and operational value.
Whether your business is managing import and export procedures, strengthening compliance, or seeking to reduce duty costs, I offer tailored and practical solutions based on decades of real-world experience.
Ultimately, customs doesn’t have to be complicated — with the right approach, it can be simple, efficient, and strategic.
Pictures courtesy of Justin Goulding Photography