March 8th was International Women’s Day, a global event celebrating the achievements of women around the world.
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This year the campaign focused on the issues of inequality women still face every day.
The importance of women in warehousing, transport and logistics is still massively underrated. So much so, on 3rd of June 2015, Andrew James MP, delivered a speech in which he stated that on the issue of employing women “transport does have some catching up to do.” He followed up with “to put it starkly, wherever women are excluded, 50% of the available talent is excluded.”
Recent studies show that women account for only 20% of the logistics workforce. Rachel Whittaker (40) the owner and founder of Zest a Nottingham based logistics consultancy thinks we should recognise and promote the importance of women in logistics and inspire more women to get involved.
“Women play a vital role in logistics something that often gets ignored. Did you know as of October 2015 26% of FTSE 100 board members were female yet only 10% of logistics managerial roles are filled by women.”
“I started my career in logistics 13 years ago, as an administration manager for a 3PL. I instantly felt at home.
The industry is lively, varied and challenging. I found there was plenty of opportunity for ambitious self-starters to stand out, get noticed and get promoted. Within 2 years I became a senior manager taking responsibility for customer service, operational processes and the warehouse management system.”
“Being a woman in logistics can be scary. You are working in a very male orientated environment and you definitely need a pretty thick skin but the rewards are well worth the effort,” says Rachel.
The industry also offers huge opportunities for women to tailor their career to suit their lifestyle choices. Flexible hours, part time, work from home days and consultancy all help to promote and strengthen the role women can play.
Rachel comments, “The industry has now provided me with the freedom and opportunity to launch my own logistics consultancy. I work with 3PLs that want to target the beauty sector. I help them tailor their service to the specific demands of the beauty industry. I also advise 3PLs on how to use social media to promote their business, stand out, get noticed and get new customers. I can work exactly when I want and manage my work alongside the other commitments in my life.”
Mentoring and role models are very effective in the industry and go a long way to publicising and promoting the role females play.
Women in Logistics.org.uk run a hugely successful mentoring program which as of August last year was running over 50 mentoring pairs.
Rachel is clear about the role mentors played in her career.
“I was extremely lucky that one of my Directors was female and had fought her way through the ranks of Boots the Chemist logistics department in an age when women really were rare. Jo quickly became a mentor and role model for me.
She inspired me and even to this day still provides me with advice and guidance.”
“I now get to work with warehouses across the country and this provides me with an opportunity to meet female logistics professionals and empower them to develop their career and carve their own niche. I hope they see me doing my thing and are inspired to really challenge and develop themselves.”
“I think we should use International Women’s Day to encourage and inspire other women to take the plunge and have the life and business they deserve. Anything is possible if us women work hard and help each other. Together we can help drive towards equality.
Wouldn’t it be great to see somewhere closer to 50% of logistics managerial roles being held by women?”
To find out more about Rachel’s logistics story visit www.zestconsultingltd.co.uk or email her at rachelwhittaker @zestconsultingltd.co.uk
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