CARGOCONNECT-MARCH2024 - Flipbook - Page 27
COVER STORY
SUPER WOMEN IN SUPPLY CHAIN
shocking percentage indicates
that there must be tell-tale reasons why more women have not
joined the ranks of this dynamic
industry. One can assume that
the lack of females within this
male-dominated industry is
intimidating, making it challenging for many women to 昀椀nd their
place. It can also extend from the
lack of awareness around what
speci昀椀c opportunities are available
to women in logistics overall.
Indeed, young professionals often times refrain from
applying to jobs in supply chain
management as they are told
that the industry is too rough
and tough for females. This is
not a gender issue; it is a broader
societal issue one cannot change
singlehandedly. But collectively,
companies and employers, educators, government administrators
and not-for-pro昀椀t organisations
can do better and give girls and
young women more exposure to
supply chain management jobs,
female role models, and career
awareness and planning.
One cannot but encourage
more women to work hard at
their callings to carve a niche
for themselves especially in this
male dominated industry. It is
about time the entire industry
turns the tide with women on
board and ensures everyone is
equal by driving ground-level
impact in degenderising roles,
creating better value systems for
businesses, and enabling women
to chart the uncharted waters in
the historically male-dominated
supply chain and logistics sectors.
Degenderisation of roles has
been one of the major factors
from a policy perspective. Women
have always been working in
the warehouses and the men
were assigned all the strength
roles like heavy lifting. However,
with the latest improvements
in technology helping women
with forklifts in heavy lifting and
making good use of such picking
and sorting machines to carry out
tasks independently, companies
are actively trying to hire more
women in blue-collared jobs to
promote gender diversity in the
workplace. As a result, there is
a new level of open-mindedness
when it comes to the roles of
women in this sector, adding
value to the women empowerment as they have started taking
(or, are now given the opportunity
to) leadership roles at the senior
and mid-management levels along
with a plethora of operational and
technical roles. Additionally, with
companies grooming freshers
and building their skills through
training in the initial months,
considering the increasing need
for skilled and trained workforce
to improve e昀케ciency, is favouring
and promoting gender diversity,
by default, as well.
27 Women Making Waves
Initiating a cultural shift within
organisations is imperative, a
change that must permeate from
top leadership down to every
member. This transformative
shift emphasises the pivotal
contribution women make to the
company’s growth. Embracing
diversity and gender balance
is not just a trend; it’s necessary for the logistics industry
to thrive in an ever-evolving
world. Thankfully, more and
more organisations have seen the
bottom-line growth that comes
with the commitment to inclusivity, which is crucial for systemic
transformation, recognising the
indispensable role women play in
fostering organisational success.
Importantly, as the industry
takes long strides towards gender
equality, we should cheer for
and continue to recognise the
achievements of some of the
many outstanding women in the
sector who continue to push the
industry forward—clear examples
of what happens when people
with different backgrounds
and viewpoints are included in
important conversations and in
the decision-making process.
Clearly, in this road to change,
we need more female mentors
and role models in the supply
chain and logistics industry in
order to tip the scales in favour
of a gender-balanced workforce.
With more exposure to positive
role models, young professionals
could 昀椀nd women that they can
relate to and aspire to be.
As a sector-focussed business
magazine, we at CARGOCONNECT never cease to show how
women leaders have been contributing to the success of the supply
chain and logistics sectors and
companies operating with the
broader industry ecosystem. Here
in our March’24 edition, we once
again celebrate and recognise the
success of 27 prominent women
leaders who could be tagged the
rising female influencers and
trailblazers and making waves
across the community. Noted for
their resilience, these female leaders have succeeded through the
hard way with mere guidance and
the leadership – and championed
by overcoming the pre-existing
and internal barriers to leadership. These remarkable women
leaders are shaping the landscape
of supply chain and logistics
across diverse roles, capacities,
and geographical boundaries. The
invaluable, exciting and thrilling experiences shared by these
women not only enrich the story
but also resonate globally, as to
how women leaders are breaking
barriers and demonstrating the
value of diverse perspectives in
an industry that demands agility
and innovation. Let’s deep dive
into what these Super Women has
to share with us in the ensuing
pages and understand what makes
their story truly extraordinary.
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CARGOCONNECT MARCH 2024 | 27
