As a single parent, CEO and managing director of Mercury Freight, Margrit Wolff, has faced many challenges in her career – including having to decline opportunities that arose because she couldn’t travel or needed the stability of a regular pay cheque. Because of that, her career path to the top took a bit longer – but it eventually paid off. She founded Buffalo Freight in 1999 and sold it to Steinhoff in 2006 which was when they merged it with Unitrans – which became Unitrans Freight Forwarding and Clearing in 2011. In March 2012 Wolff left the company and was able to start Mercury Freight in June 2012. “Mercury is the second company I have started, and it is already successful due to support from many clients and friends who have enjoyed high levels of service over many years,” Wolff adds. She has been in the freight industry since 1979 and says that it basically chose her. “My father was a freight forwarder in Germany before the war, and I was well on my way to being an accountant when fate intervened and I joined the then African Shipping company.” She adds that when she started she was the only woman, bar one other, in the sales department. “But it was always fun and interesting and I enjoyed breaking down barriers,” says Wolff. She hastens to add that there are currently no gender or race barriers to employment within the freight industry. The best piece of advice she ever received was: “People do not read, so tell them, they do not remember so confirm the conversation in writing.” INSERT ‘There are currently no gender or race barriers to employment within the freight industry.’ CAPTION Margrit Wolff ... Breaking down barriers.
