2024 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Award Winners Announced
The 2024 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards winners were announced at the awards ceremony and luncheon held in London and attended by over 480 industry leaders. Now in their 17th year, the awards were launched to shine a spotlight on the varied and increasing avenues of opportunities available in the traditionally male-dominated industry and celebrate the vital role that women play within it. Despite progress, only 23% of the industry’s 1.5million employees identify as women, more than half of these women are in non-transport roles, and alarmingly 54% of organisations lack formal targets, commitments, or quotas for gender diversity.¹
Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder of everywoman said: “Studies consistently demonstrate that diverse teams foster greater creativity, problem-solving abilities, employee engagement, and overall profitability within organizations. The economic benefits of equalising the labour force could lead to potential gains of 10% of GDP by 2030.² Attracting, retaining, and advancing women has the power to fuel progress, unlock innovation and drive growth, not just for organisations but for the UK economy. Now in our 25th year, everywoman continues to play a significant part in recognising exceptional women whose innovation, skills, resilience, and leadership will inspire future generations of women to fulfil their career ambitions in vibrant and dynamic industries. Congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists who continue to demonstrate the vital role women play as role models and innovators in transport and logistics.”
The everywoman Woman of the Year Award was awarded to Sarah-May Harrison, Operations Supervisor at FedEx Express, from Lancashire. Starting her career at just 16, Sarah-May has navigated numerous challenges in a male-dominated industry with outstanding professionalism and resilience. Her journey is marked by remarkable achievements; launching a dedicated data capture centre which led to a company saving of £1.5 million in its first year, pursuing her HGV license and through FedEx’s Women’s Inclusive Network. She’s used her unique talent, British Sign Language and as a Registered Sign Language Interpreter, to have a tremendous impact on the deaf community. In 2023 she shared a video of herself signing BSL greetings, reaching 540,000 people globally with an incredible 70.41% engagement rate. The Judges praised Sarah-May’s dedication to dismantling barriers and finding new ways to integrate technology to ensure equal opportunities for all.
There are two winners per category (Leader and Above & Beyond) and one winner for Tech Innovator, International Inspiration, Industry Champion, Male Agent of Change, Apprentice of the Year, and Sustainability Champion.
THE 2024 CATEGORY WINNERS ARE:
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY UKWA:
• Ella Harper, Apprentice Toolmaker at Unipart Dorman, from Southport
Ella will be one of only two toolmakers in the factory when she completes her apprenticeship. Since joining in November 2020, her proactive nature and advanced skills have had a significant impact on colleagues and the business. Most recently she designed and manufactured a product that has seen substantial savings for a major project in North America. The judges were blown away by Ella’s enthusiasm for learning, dedication to achieving her goals, and passion for breaking the unconscious bias surrounding women in the industry.
THE CUSTOMER/PASSENGER AWARD – SPONSORED BY bp:
• Hannah Man, Communications Manager at Go-Ahead London, from London (Above & Beyond)
Hannah’s remarkable career in the transport industry spans nearly two decades. In 2014 she became Go-Ahead London’s first female general manager for operations, overseeing several garages. In her recent role as communications lead for 8000 employees, she boosted satisfaction rates to an impressive 90%. She’s also a mentor for the Go-Ahead Women initiative and a trailblazer in fostering workplace inclusivity, proving that women can excel in any role. The judges were inspired by her authenticity to not change who you are to ‘fit the mould’.
• Zoe Walsh, Sales and Customer Relations Director at GLH, from London (Leader)
Zoe’s almost 30-year career in the transport industry began as a Call Centre agent, working her way up to lead the business through many successes, including creating a bespoke NHS booking system that reduced booking times by a staggering 50%. Her dedication to building alliances for women by women has been recognised and she’s one of the first women to achieve an Institute of Couriers Fellowship. With an almost all-female team the Judges praised her as an inspirational and ambitious role model, leading by example and encouraging others to achieve their goals.
THE FREIGHT AWARD – SPONSORED BY WCA WORLD & IFC8:
• Lyndsay Hogg, Managing Director at Hogg Global Logistics, from Hartlepool (Above & Beyond)
Lyndsay founded Hogg Global Logistics while 8.5 months pregnant, wanting to empower women in logistics and support her family. The company has seen huge success in its first 4 years, winning the first and only Kings Award in the North-East England for international trade. Lyndsay’s coordinated ground level support: locally donating 18,000 packets of sanitary products and campaigning for these to be provided free; raising over £5,000 for a cancer patient who was unable to work; and sending 10 trucks of humanitarian aid to Ukraine (and raising £13,000).
• Vanessa Young, Director at Ketra Logistics Ltd, form London (Leader)
Vanessa’s leadership and customer-centric approach has boosted Ketra’s profits by an impressive 45% and increased account retention to 93%, while employing 80 people across two London depots and turning over £12M. She’s passionate about development and has supported numerous colleagues, who now hold senior positions in the business. Over the past 2 years Vanessa’s helped 7 employees increase their driving entitlements, 3 employees pass their CPC certificates of professional competence, and 2 employees obtain their FLT license.
THE INDUSTRY CHAMPION AWARD – SPONSORED BY ASDA:
• Astrid van der Burgt, Head of Road Safety at HOLCIM, from Switzerland
Astrid has nearly three decades of experience in the logistics, ranging from tanker driver to dangerous goods safety advisor, but her passion lies in empowering more women to join the industry. Leading Holcim’s Women on Wheels programme since 2022, she’s expanded it to 16 countries and more than doubled Holcim’s female truck drivers to over 870. Her previous accolades include winning a ‘Brake, the Road Safety Charity’ award in 2015 and a coveted ‘Prince Michael International Road Safety Award’ in 2021.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE AWARD – SPONSORED BY TRANSPORT UK LONDON BUS:
• Susan Leadbetter, Principal Consultant at WSP, from London (Above & Beyond)
With 9 years of Transport Planning experience, Susan is part of the Liveable Places team, where she advocates for safer, more inclusive and accessible designs, especially for underrepresented groups. She spearheaded the 2021 launch of TfL’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment’ campaign, leading to a 300% surge in reporting and inspired similar initiatives globally, and leads WSP’s Women’s Safety, Equality, and Inclusion workstreams across Transport. She’s actively expanding its reach across the UK to promote positive societal change.
• Anna Sabatowska, General Manager at Movianto UK Ltd, from Lutterworth (Leader)
Anna joined Movianto in April 2022 taking responsibility for the National Vaccination Distribution Centre and has led her team through significant change whilst increasing storage capacity by an incredible 200%. Her work ethic and inspirational leadership have been pivotal in the UK’s ability to provide world leading vaccination programmes. Anna actively champions women in leadership and promotes everywoman culture through industry collaboration, exemplifying a people-first approach in managing operations.
INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATION AWARD – SPONSORED BY MAERSK:
• Sue Donoghue, CEO Arabian Cluster at DHL Global Forwarding, from Saudi Arabia
Since starting her career 28 years ago as a receptionist, Sue’s been an unstoppable force. In 2018, she moved to Saudi Arabia as Project Director and is now CEO Arabian Cluster, leading a large diverse team to achieve incredible results in an unparalleled environment. She’s been instrumental in forming and leading DHL’s largest global project in Saudi Arabia, growing the DHL Global Forwarding entity from 0 to over 175 staff, 40% of whom are females, and opening 5 offices in less than 4 years.
MALE AGENT OF CHANGE – SPONSORED BY GO-AHEAD:
• Ben Evans, New Business Director at Atkins Réalis, from Birmingham
Ben drives innovation and new value proportions for UK and International Transportation clients such as Network Rail, HS2, Thames Water and Heathrow Airport. He is celebrated by female colleagues for fostering empowering, authentic and inclusive work environments. He’s an EDI pioneer who constructively challenges, breaks the silence and raises awareness of vital subjects, regularly presenting at high-profile events including one with a 37,000 audience. The judges described him as ‘a role model for future generations’.
THE SUPPLY CHAIN AWARD – SPONSORED BY UNIPART RAIL:
• Kristina Slekiene, Manager, Operations at FedEx Express, from Basildon (Above & Beyond)
Kristina is a passionate and self-driven leader growing from a humble handler to managing a team of 150 employees who process 5 million shipments annually. Starting in warehousing in 2014, she quickly advanced to Operations Manager through her ability to learn rapidly, optimize processes, and challenge norms. She’s successfully transformed and redefined her workplace culture by emphasizing DE&I, earning her several Bravo Zulu awards from senior management.
• Amanda Boland, Chief People Officer at Barnes Logistics from Manchester (Leader)
Amanda’s journey from HR administrator to Chief People Officer showcases her exceptional talent and dedication, and has a leading role in company culture, leadership, employee development, wellbeing, HR operation and strategy. Her recent initiative won the 2023 Workforce Planning Award at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards, positioning the company as one of the UK’s most successful logistics employers. Amanda has increased staff retention by a notable 25% and facilitates career shifts and promotions for women.
SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION AWARD – SPONSORED BY DSV:
• Sarah Weller, Commercial Director at UK Truck & Plant Group, from Bedford
Having worked for UKT&P for 8 years, managing the largest independent Truck & Plant maintenance facility in the Home Counties, Sarah is the driving force behind setting industry leading sustainability efforts. Last year Sarah led the business through offsetting over 300 tonnes of carbon and recycling over 20,000 litres of used oil, 1,100 batteries and 1,300 tyres. The business achieved carbon neutrality in 2023, with their sights set on carbon negativity by the end of 2024.
THE TECH INNOVATOR AWARD – SPONSORED BY AMAZON:
• Rebecca Hall, Director at HH Driveright Ltd, from Leeds
Since co-founding HH Driveright alongside her husband in 2018, Rebecca has been instrumental in driving the business to new heights. She’s developed technological and compliance solutions that address the numerous risk-related challenges faced by fleet operations. As a passionate mentor, Rebecca inspires her colleagues to go above and beyond, and her leadership doesn’t stop there as evidenced by her founding of Idling Awareness Day in 2023 to tackle unnecessary car emissions and her support for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
THE WAREHOUSING AWARD – SPONSORED BY FEDEX:
• Beysun Duru, 3PL Regional Manager at Amazon, from London (Above & Beyond)
Beysun transitioned into transport and logistics 3 years ago after 17-years in the automotive industry. Since joining Amazon in 2021 she’s had enormous success; driving a European project aimed at enhancing warehouse operations, increasing warehouse delivery accuracy to 99.64% and successfully tackling inventory loss, reducing costs by £1 million in 2023. Beysun’s served as Chair of Amazon’s Women External Fulfilment Affinity Group, mentors women, and is a Director of Board at KidzOwn Out of School Club (non-profit).
• Sarah Pritchett, General Manager at DSV, from Measham (Leader)
Since joining DSV in 2016, Sarah’s role has expanded significantly, now overseeing two major logistics centres with 400 employees and leading the design of a third facility, which will see her manage a turnover exceeding £50m and 800 employees. Sarah exemplifies dedication, leadership, and expertise in every aspect of her role and is passionate about driving the concept that Transport and Logistics is a career path for all.
For more information or to register your interest in the 2025 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards, visit www.everywoman.com/tlawards.
2 The Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy (TISS) 2016
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