Nicholas Godden
Navigating new frontiers: A journey from customs to the classroom
For Nicholas Godden, leadership isn't just about rising through the ranks - it's about lifting others as you climb.
After a distinguished 30-year career in customs management with Vanuatu Customs, Nicholas Godden (Nick) accepted a new challenge in 2024 joining Professor David Widdowson and the team at the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies as a Lecturer focusing on topics including customs processes and procedures, customs valuation and border revenue.
Nick has always had a passion for learning and development, looking for opportunities to incorporate design and delivery of staff training and refresher workshops into his day-to-day work. In joining the CCES team, a global leader in customs education, training and consulting, he now feels like he has a renewed sense of purpose when it comes to his work.
“My work at CCES is more than delivering practical, high-impact training that equips officers with the tools and confidence to lead within their administrations. It’s about inspiring the next generation of customs officers and helping them to understand the importance of the work they do for their communities, their countries and our environment”.
Stepping away from operational front lines – and the task of managing a busy customs team based in the Northern Region of Vanuatu into academia hasn’t been without its hurdles. Gone are the daily rhythms of managing customs functions, annual planning and budgeting and staff performance assessments replaced by lecture prep, navigating virtual learning platforms such as Brightspace and Moodle, and the unique challenges of engaging and supporting a large cohort of geographically dispersed students. Yet, the transition reignited his passion for growth and learning.
"At this level, I’m still discovering new experiences, new highlights—new challenges. The teaching methodologies and platforms are unfamiliar, but the heart of the work is the same: supporting others to succeed.”
Nick has been a long-standing champion of capacity building efforts across the Pacific. In 2012 and 2013, he was invited by the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) to lead regional workshops in Niue, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Solomon Islands and Tonga under the EDF10 Program, fostering skills in customs valuation across member countries. That experience—alongside his own initiatives to run annual training for customs staff—planted the seeds for what he now cultivates at CCES: a blend of hard-earned field experience with deep theoretical insight.
Nick recently completed the World Customs Organization (WCO) Master Trainer Program in the Harmonized System (HS) classification and is a WCO HS expert and master trainer. He is also an OCO accredited trainer.
"Training is essential. When customs officials are well-equipped, their organisations thrive in revenue collection, border protection, and trade facilitation.”
Seven months into his academic role, Nick continues shaping future customs leaders by weaving his practical expertise into every lecture. He's driven not just by curriculum, but by purpose—reminding students that customs is as much about principle and perseverance as it is policy.
“Working in this field takes grit, initiative, and commitment. You must first start with desire—but don’t stop there. Take initiative. I pursued my Master of Customs Administration at CCES and became a certified trainer through the WCO and OCO programs. But most importantly, I stayed committed.”
That blend of motivation, education, and dedication has defined Nick’s journey—and it’s a roadmap for those looking to follow in his footsteps.
Nicholas Godden is a Lecturer with The Centre for Customs and Excise Studies based in Vanuatu. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Customs Administration (2019) and Master of Customs Administrations (2022) with Charles Sturt University.