AppId is over the quota
It is true that there are industries perceived as inherently male, or female, but change is certainly a-coming. Male hairdressers, male PAs and male nannys are making way for female truck drivers, female company MDs and females in warehouses. The transport & logistics sector is certainly seeing a shift in more women taking on roles that are seen as predominantly being in the male domain, but is enough being done to facilitate this shift?
I started this post by asking whether you thought transport & logistics is still a man’s world. In certain instances the answer is yes, but there are also women excelling in their roles that certainly challenge the misconception that transport & logistics is for the boys.
Take Laurie Bartram for example. At just 21 years of age Laurie passed her Class 1 (C+E). She became one of the youngest women in the country to get a full Driver’s Certificate of Professional Competence and Drivers Qualifications Card, and topped this by becoming Commercial Driver of the Year in the 2012 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards. “Being an HGV driver is not for everyone but being a woman is not an issue,” says Laurie. “There’s a lot of work out there if you’re prepared to put the time and effort in, just make sure you are happy to be on your own for long periods of time. I have my dream job.” *
Nikki King OBE is another example of a woman reaching the heights. Fifteen years after returning from an eight year career break to raise her family, Nikki became the first female Managing Director of a UK commercial vehicle manufacturer. She was awarded the OBE for services to the road transport industry in 2002, is an active member of the Commercial Vehicle Show Committee and the first female Vice President of the Society of Operations Engineers. Nikki is also one of the judges for this year’s FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards.
Laurie and Nikki are just two shining examples of women in the so-called man’s world of transport & logistics. They have not taken no for an answer and have not seen being female as a barrier to achieving their potential. Neither should you.
I believe that the transport and logistics sector needs more women to come forward and challenge the rapidly outdated view that transport & logistics is not for women. It is important for the future lifeblood of the sector that more women realise there are opportunities open to them and roles that are fulfilling and challenging.
There are many examples of women excelling in their roles and the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards are one way to showcase these women and let them shine as role models to encourage more females to work in the sector.
If you are the next Laurie or Nikki, or are banishing male/female stereotypes in your own field, enter these awards for women now. The categories cover a broad spectrum of business areas. From the two new categories this year of Industry Champion and Innovation and Sustainability, to Director of the Year, women working across the board in transport & logistics should step forward and enter. A new development for 2013 is that the categories have been expanded to encompass passenger transport as well as commercial transport.
Smash those feminine stereotypes and show your peers that you excel as a woman in transport & logistics.
* Daily Mirror, August 2012
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