Shattering Glass Ceilings : Rise of women in supply chain logistics

                                                  

Shattering glass ceilings :  rise of women in supply chain logistics

I am Gayathri Nair ,a student of management in Amrita School of Business . Raised to believe that nothing is impossible because I am a girl ,the success stories of women in traditionally male bastions fired my interest in them and their trials ,tribulations and finally success.

 

Gone are the days when the girls waited with bated breath and quickening heartbeat for their prince charming to come in search of them with the proverbial glass sandals . The women today are more focused on shattering those glass ceilings that box them in .

Little girls are no longer made of sugar and spice ,they are strong and resilient ready to take on the ever growing space of supply chain logistics .

Gender bias is a force to reckon with .

Supply chain is often seen as numbers. A recent poll by the SCM world found out that only 10 percent of the leadership within supply chain are held by women .This could be partially due to the gender bias which sees women as the weaker sex and also partially because the root of supply chain is manufacturing and transportation which are both perceived to be not women friendly . It has to change and the old order is changing yielding place to new as it is agreed that women have a different range of skill sets that will benefit the supply chain industry .

There are quite a few women who have made inroads into the top levels of supply chain . They are where they are because of a strong work ethic , a passion for supply chain and logistics , ability to be comfortable as one of a few or probably the only woman in the room.

More companies are making an effort to attract women to supply chain management and leadership positions aiming at diversity and inclusion. Most companies are slowly but surely making a targeted effort to bring in more women to supply chain work force by recruiting , developing and advancing women in supply chain. Companies are by policy trying to offset the gender bias that exists consciously or more often unconsciously by creating better women focused talent retention programs ,like giving a new mother the flexibility to work from the comforts of home .

How the leaders cleared the hurdles : lessons in tenacity

Most of the women who trod the unbeaten path and yet reached the pinnacle swear by a few qualities

• Integrity...promise something then see it's delivered .
• Keeping your eyes open ....be a sponge absorb everything
• Confidence ... Have faith in yourself when the rest of the world is doubtful
• Patience ... Everything happens for a reason ...be that person to find the reason
• Reflective ..... Handle constructive criticism , reflect on it and move forward
• Invest in yourself .... Interact , learn and challenge your limits
• Change is inevitable , learn to change with change
• Communication ....let there be a channel of open communication in the work space

They lead by example : few  women who changed the face of supply chain logistics

Joselina Peralta            

she is the vice president of global supply chain and procurement operations at Troy Corporation says it's her family who taught her to think out of the box .her mentors believed in her abilities to lead . She believes in active listening to be the key that opened the doors of corporate ladder for her . Putting people first ,being authentic and versatile and having the courage to take risks  and  gratitude is what has put her where she is ..on top .
 

 

 

Martha lumatete

 

 

she is working for Southwest airlines in software acquisition . Her mantra to success is to be an expert ,to be trustworthy and clear .to have an open mind and be  receptive ,to be persistent and live in the moment .

 

 

 

 

Ann Drake 

 

 She is the founder of Awesome ..Achieving women's excellence in supply chain operations ,management and education . It is a leadership initiative that moulds women to stake their rightful claim in the logistic industry by providing opportunities for learning ,mentor ship and professional growth . She is continuously opening up vistas in this hitherto male bastion . She is the  only woman recipient of the Distinguished service award from council of supply chain management professionals

 

 

 

Megan Smith 

 

She is the CEO of Amware logistics and heads a company choc a block with women leaders who hold critical positions not because she wants to overcome gender bias but because she firmly believes women are more gutsy , passionate and willing to take risks .Amware has now been branded as Symbia Logistics which is an example of what can happen when gender diversity initiatives are built into a company ? they Succeed .


 

 

 

Edwina Justus 

 

 
The first coloured lady to become female locomotive engineer of Union Pacific Railroad . She overcame gender ,colour and racial discrimination to carve her niche.

 

 

 

Christina Christensen 

 

she is a senior manager in industry and solutions marketing in kinaxis, a supply chain technology organization supporting businesses in increasing ROI and revenue while mitigating risk .she broke the stereotype that women after babies need to take back seat . She made sure she balanced the home work front ,not letting her gender be a stumbling block .success to her her is knowing that she deserved the seat at the table and owning it .confidence,being  proactive ,agility to react to global visibility are qualities instrumental in putting her where she is ...safely ensconced in the drivers seat

 

Melonese Wise

 

She is a leader that is helping to forge the future of supply chain solutions as a robotics innovator .she is the CEO of Fetch Robotics ,which produces autonomous mobile robots to find, track and move inventory .  

 

 

 

 

 

These women and many many more are revolutionizing a male dominated field .they have left their foot prints firmly etched in the supply chain track . Initiatives like the women leaders in supply chain luncheon brings together leaders from around the world to celebrate women's role in the field of logistics .These women and many more have dared to dream and touched the sky and grabbed a fistful of star dust .  

 

More power to them..!!