Nick
Cousino

Vice President, Global Trade Management

As Vice President, GTM-TMS North American Operations, Nick oversees our core service offerings for clients across North America. These include classification, special trade programs, free trade agreements, import and export compliance, restricted party screening, valuation, and reconciliation services. During his 24+ years in the business, Nick has worked in various sectors of the industry including customs brokerage, import compliance, onsite customer support, and operational leadership.

"I'm a team builder," says Nick. "I develop leaders to lead those teams so they tend to stay together because they trust and support each other. That ultimately benefits our clients because they can count on consistency of vision and service quality."

"Trust also underpins all the best client relationships. You have to be able to have honest conversations — telling clients things they might not want to hear and being able to admit any mistakes that might occur. Our culture is empathetic, transparent, and accountable."

Professional ethos: Integrity. Honesty. Dedication. Gumption. Service. Leadership. "By 'gumption' I mean encouraging initiative and resourcefulness within the team. That leads to innovation, which is a Livingston differentiator. By 'dedication' I mean going the extra mile to build a reputation for reliability. To make sure we do that, our operation is vertically structured, with each client having a dedicated account manager and support team."

Work of note lately: "Supporting the development, launch, and implementation of our COE (Center of Excellence). It was a large, multi-year project that involved building a tight relationship with our COE operations in Poland and Mexico. Today, we have a strong North American operation supported by our global COEs, providing best-in-class yet more cost-effective solutions while maintaining our margins."

The biggest challenges for clients today: "Regulatory compliance can be complex and costly. Managing logistics across borders involves dealing with multiple carriers, customs, and potential delays. And political instability and trade tensions can disrupt operations and supply chains. Our job is to overcome those challenges through regulatory expertise, supply chain optimization, risk management, and technology integration.”

Personal passion: "Woodworking has had a profound impact on my work in a number of ways. It demands precision and a keen eye for detail, managing multiple aspects of a project, patience, troubleshooting, and finding creative solutions to unexpected problems. It’s also a great way to relieve stress."