Women in Logistics Winners revealed

The worthy winners of four awards have been unveiled at the Women in Logistics annual conference and awards.

Companies and individuals were honoured at a glittering ceremony in Warwickshire on the evening of Friday June 27, in the company of the judges Professor Richard Wilding and Ruth Waring, along with special guest Mrs Beverley Bell, the UK’s first female Traffic Commissioner.

In a keynote speech, Mrs Bell praised Women in Logistics for championing the cause of gender diversity in the transport and logistics sector.  The awards were then presented and the winners are:

Leader of the Year:

Nicky McGroarty of Telefonica UK.

Rising Star of the Year:

Victoria Burrows of Royal Mail

Diversity Champion of the Year:

Tracey Clifford of Wincanton.

Company of the Year:

DHL Supply Chain.

Nicky McGroarty was delighted to be awarded Women in Logistics Leader of the Year 2014.  She said “Telefonica is committed to equality and diversity in the workplace so it’s an honour to receive this recognition for my role as Head of Supply Chain.  I continue to encourage other women in the logistics sector to be ambitious because the career opportunities for both women and men are fantastic. My background isn’t logistics I’m a qualified CIMA Accountant who moved into supply chain 10 years ago and did almost every role before taking on the role of Head of Supply Chain 2 years ago.

“I hope my story can inspire others to move into logistics; supply chain is integral to any organisation as it’s all about delivering a great customer experience which is so important.”

As well as over £5,000 raised through ticket sales, a charity raffle at the dinner raised a further £1,500 for the inspiring transport charity Transaid.

The awards followed the Women in Logistics Conference, which was fully sold out, with 70 people attending from all sectors of UK logistics and supply chain businesses.

Delegates were given plenty to think about as Professor Janet Godsell (Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry) talked about circular business models and flexibility within the supply chain.  Emile Naus (Partner and Technical Director at LCP Consulting and former Head of Logistics Strategy at M&S) showed delegates the impact of customer returns in an omni-channel environment and there was a discussion on how to aim for simplicity in a complex world.

The Panel discussion sparked a lively debate, talking about role models and offering strategies for being a woman in a man’s world. The general consensus was to be yourself and believe that you have every right to be there and just do it!

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Women in Logistics (UK) was established to support the careers of women in the logistics field. It aims to increase the number of women in the sector, improve life for those women already working in logistics and address the gender imbalance issue in logistics.  It now has over 4000 members.

Issued by: Amanda Jackson, Tigerfish PR Ltd
 01254 851 680