Jon Barber a founding fellow of the Institute of Couriers, APC Overnight director said:

Ivor's contribution to the courier industry over the last 25 years has been significant. Anyone who has met or worked with Ivor would testify to his high levels of professionalism.

During his tenure as managing director Ivor's commitment to ensuring a first-class overnight delivery service helped to pave the way for APC Overnight to become the UK's largest independent delivery company. His introduction of a management training programme has allowed the business to spot and foster talent from within the business and supported the development of younger professionals within the courier industry.

Ivor Skinner has been working in the courier industry for 25 years.

Working in partnership with his wife Gail, Ivor launched Celtic Couriers as a same day delivery company in 1989, which soon became known for its fast and reliable service. It was because of this reputation that Ivor and Gail were approached by Quentin Abel in 1994 to help grow The Alternative Parcels Company, APC, laying the foundations for what would become APC Overnight.

Ivor's contribution was quickly recognised and he joined the board of directors in 1999, becoming managing director in 2008. During his time as managing director Ivor played a crucial role in helping APC Overnight not only weathering the recession, but grow substantially, increasing pre-tax profits some ten fold from £307,000 to £3.4 million and increasing the average number of parcels the company delivered per month to 1.4 million.

It was during his time as managing director that Ivor created the company's management training scheme, to help transport professionals progress within the business. Mark Fletcher - finance director, Emma Scott - head of human resources and Brett Kidson - human resources manager are all graduates of the APC Overnight management training programme.