Women in logistics: Making a mark
Despite representing around half of the global population, the percentage of women working in a male-dominated logistics industry remains shallow. speaks to women who have carved out unique places for themselves in the logistics, warehousing, distribution and air cargo industry dominated by men.
It is appalling that the deliberation on fewer number of women working in a male-dominated logistics industry continues. Logistics, warehousing and supply chain industry is traditionally a male-dominated industry. When one thinks of logistics industry the first picture that comes to mind is of a truck driver or an industry which involves moving and lifting. However, there is more to the industry rather than just moving and lifting. In this excerpt, women from India, Singapore and Sri Lanka share their stories.
WOMEN HAVE PROVED THEIR CAPABILITY IN EVERY FIELD
With many barriers of former all-male bastions being demolished slowly but surely, especially over the past two decades, I no longer believe that any industry is gender-specific – intentional or otherwise. Women have proved their capability in every field – from sports to space, and from country to corporate leadership. If air cargo and logistics is still a ‘male-dominated’ industry, then the failure is ours in not being able to provide an environment to attract the rich talent and gender diversity that would undoubtedly help to grow our companies and communities across the country.
To be fair, it has been refreshing to see an increasing number of women in our industry – entrepreneurs, professionals, and couriers – delivering with equal zest and pride. Some of the most efficient couriers in Blue Dart, battling the elements on the not so ideal streets, are the lady couriers who match and even outdo, package to package, deliveries of their male colleagues. We have five lady pilots in Blue Dart Aviation when a decade ago there was none, and we have ladies in almost every department who stand tall – engineering, flight operations, flight dispatch, technical services, quality, materials & stores. I’m very proud of what they do each day, and especially their commitment during the height of the pandemic last year. When the world stopped, we moved, and the ladies were there to prove their mettle.
It is a far cry from when I began my career in the airlines 50 years ago; back in the days when air cargo was not seen as a woman’s job, my colleagues were all men. Hot and dusty terminals were overflowing with cargo and bereft of women. On a typical sales day, visiting customers and agents usually ended with a drive to the airport to oversee the palletisation of shipments promised for transportation.
In 1995, when my journey with Blue Dart began, the shift to creating a structured, scheduled domestic cargo airline entailed a steep learning curve. The launch of India’s first domestic cargo airline on June 17, 1996 across the five major airports of Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, was a historic high, not just a milestone in the country’s aviation history, but a memory cherished forever by all of us who had the privilege to be part of the project team. 25 years on, Blue Dart Aviation is still charting new frontiers across Indian skies and, more recently, venturing beyond boundaries. I feel so proud to be a catalyst on that journey with an organisation that has changed the course of my life forever.
Some of the most efficient couriers in Blue Dart, battling the elements on the not so ideal streets, are the lady couriers who match and even outdo, package to package, deliveries of their male colleagues