Michael
Zobin

Senior Director, Global Trade Consulting, Canada

Equipping the Team

Michael oversees a team of global trade associates who support clients across Canada and the world. After more than 25 years in customs work, his expertise includes supply-chain optimization, compliance procedures, duty deferral, and drawbacks. He is also highly knowledgeable in valuation regulations and customs recourse processes.

"My goal," says Michael, "is to listen to the symptoms that clients tell me about. For each question they ask, I usually have 10 of my own. This helps me identify the underlying issues that need attention — issues that might not be obvious on the surface. From there, collaboratively, we resolve the issues and build a solution to ensure the problem doesn't arise again. Value-add is to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate."

On the importance of working with a talented team: "What sets us apart is being one of the most comprehensive and talented teams in the customs practitioner space in North America.”

The most important element in a client relationship: "Trust. It takes time to develop and can be lost in a minute. Transparency is a must. Scare tactics and shortcuts that might save money in the short term can create quick wins but will not drive a relationship forward for the long term. We earn trust based on knowledge that brings value over the long term."

Work of note: "For me, it's not about a specific client or project. The most important work we've done lately is organizational. There's been a multi-year push within Livingston to simplify, unify, and empower. As with most larger companies, we tended to be a collection of discreet specialized 'communities.' Now we are more unified — sales, service, brokerage, regulatory affairs, global trade management — communicating fluidly to advise our many clients in various industry verticals and global jurisdictions. That's the 'project' that's having the biggest payoff for our clients."

The biggest challenges for clients today: "Uncertainty caused by geopolitics, constant updates to government regulations, and falling behind with technology that causes inefficient processes and therefore higher costs.”

Personal interests: Aeronautics. Hockey. Reading. Volunteering. "Volunteering in my community with youth has helped shape my career. Our future is our youth. We have to give them the tools, morals, skills, and confidence to become leaders. That's also how I lead my team and collaborate with my colleagues."

Michael regularly conducts seminars on customs compliance, origin, and valuation for Canadian and non-resident importers. He has given several speeches at the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers (CSCB) and presented to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).