[3] Harvey joined Unilever in 1957 as a graduate trainee after receiving a First Class Honours degree from the University of Cambridge and held a variety of appointments before becoming Managing Director of SPD Ltd (‘Speedy, Prompt Delivery’), its UK logistics subsidiary.

From 1971, he went on to hold various SPD Board appointments in subsidiaries and joint ventures in North America, Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Italy and Ireland.

(SPD continued without him for another year, after which it was purchased by National Freight Corporation, which later combined it with BRS and NCL to create the proto Exel Logistics.)

Although he did not invent 'open-book contract’ principles, Harvey developed and hugely popularised this type of commercial relationship between third-party logistics providers and their customers – where fixed management fees are charged and costs are transparent to both parties.

In 2004 with Geoff Gillo Harvey set up Keswick Enterprises[4] – a UK-based private equity investor focused on activities within the logistics and supply chain sectors.

In February 2020, Keswick Enterprises acquired Assembly and Packaging Services Ltd (known as APS) - a non-food co-packing and fulfilment business based in Blyth, Northumberland, UK.

Keswick Enterprises has other investments in co-packing, freight forwarding, recycling, supply chain consultancy and specialist M&A activities.

Harvey still regularly addresses freight, logistics and supply chain management audiences across the world, and chairs conferences and seminars.