I have always felt valued and respected in the industry

Sarbani Sengupta, VP-CS, DHL Express India

My career in the logistics industry started in 2004, after over 10 years in the financial services industry. I have always been fascinated by this field because it connects the world and brings people closer. I have never faced any challenges in this industry, despite the fact that when I joined 17 years ago, the diversity ratio in the industry was quite low. I saw the opportunity presented by a lower diversity ratio as a motivation for me to perform as well as to motivate others to join. I am proud to share that today, there is a significant presence of women in logistics, across hierarchies.

Although our industry has been largely male-dominated, I have been privileged to experiment with varied solutions and learn to grow throughout the course of my career. One of my key milestones has been building customer service as the competitive differentiator, the secret sauce for the growth of an organization. As a woman leader, I have always felt valued and respected in the organisation and in the industry for the diversity of thought and approach that I bring to the table. With even our customers becoming more diverse, how can the female viewpoint and participation in logistics ever be ignored? If it is, then the organisation will not succeed in the long run.

The pandemic has created a disruption in the global economy, with e-Commerce, supply chain, and logistics witnessing exponential growth. On the other hand, the flexible work option has created a great opportunity for more women to join the logistics industry.

As a woman leader, I have felt valued and respected in both my organisation and industry for diversity of approaches that I bring to table. How can female viewpoint ever be ignored?