Alan Rushton

After graduating from the University of Warwick with a degree in Economics, I spent several years in industry as a raw materials controller in Southampton and as a distribution executive based in London. I studied for an MSc in Transport Studies and then joined the National Materials Handling Centre, initially to carry out research into urban delivery problems and goods consolidation. I was a senior consultant with the Centre for many years, undertaking a variety of consultancy projects with major companies. I specialized in transport and logistics systems and strategies. After helping to create the Distribution Studies Unit (DSU) at Cranfield University, I became the Director of Studies for the MSc in Distribution Technology and Management, and Head of the DSU. With the creation of the Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Transportation (later the Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, CLSCM) I became the Director of Graduate Programmes for the new Centre where I set up and, for many years, ran the Executive MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I was also the Director of eLearning for CLSCM and chaired the eLearning Committee for the Cranfield School of Management. I have published widely in books, trade journals and academic publications. I co-wrote the original Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management, which was first published in 1989. I have also co-written all of the subsequent editions, including the seventh edition which was published in 2022. I am co-author of International Logistics and Supply Chain Outsourcing. As well as my research and consultancy experience in transport, distribution, logistics and the supply chain, I have lectured in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, North America, South America and Africa. I continue to undertake consultancy, both nationally and internationally, and I am the Director of Dialog Consultants, a consultancy specializing in distribution, logistics and supply chain management. I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. I have been married for several years and have two children. I live in Bedfordshire, in England.