Ashwin Smith: The Depot Manager Who Turned Growth Into a Safety System at Easishoppe

South Africa's liquefied petroleum gas sector runs on logistics. Cylinders and bulk loads have to move safely, on time and at scale across long distances, and the companies that do it well are usually the ones with disciplined operators on the ground. At Easishoppe, an LPG distribution and energy logistics business, that operator is Depot Manager Ashwin Smith, a nominee for Leader of the Year at the TPC Awards 2026.

Smith brings more than a decade of management experience to the role. Since joining Easishoppe in 2021, he has run day-to-day depot operations with a team of around 60 people, covering logistics, fleet operations, service delivery and operational performance.

Growth that held

According to figures submitted with his nomination, Easishoppe's annual LPG distribution volumes rose 14.7% in 2022 and a further 21.4% in 2023. By 2024, volumes stood 39.3% above the 2021 baseline. In 2025, the business held volumes at roughly 34% above that baseline, a sign that the expansion was sustained rather than a one-off spike. Over the same period, the company reports that its turnover doubled.

Holding gains is often harder than making them. A larger operation means more vehicles, more drivers, more deliveries and more exposure to risk, and keeping performance steady through that growth is largely a test of depot management.

Safety as a management system

Much of Smith's recent work has focused on making that operation safer and more measurable. During 2025 and 2026, he led the move from paper-based daily vehicle inspections to a digital Fleet Safety Management System. He has also strengthened oversight through Ctrack telematics, driver behaviour monitoring and targeted safety interventions, alongside structured development programmes for employees.

In a sector that moves pressurised fuel on public roads, those changes matter beyond efficiency. Digital inspection records and live telematics give managers earlier warning of problems, and give drivers clearer feedback on how they are performing.

A wider network

Smith's perspective is not limited to South Africa. He holds quarterly professional consultations with LPG and fuel transportation colleagues in the UAE, Mauritius and Tunisia, exchanging practice across markets that face similar operational and safety challenges.

His nomination rests on a combination that is less common than it should be in operational leadership: measurable commercial growth, practical innovation in safety, and investment in the people who do the work.

Ashwin Smith is a nominee in the Leader of the Year category of the TPC Awards 2026. Figures are as provided in the nomination submission.