Women gaining a foothold in logistics industry

As South Africa prepares to celebrate
Women’s Day on August 9, it appears
that South African logistics companies
are going the extra mile to increase
the number of women employed in the
industry.
It is, however, not just a numbers
game but also about creating jobs where
women can take up leadership positions
to play meaningful and strategic roles
within the transport, logistics and supply
chain environment.
“We have definitely seen more and
more women enter boardrooms where
strategic business decisions are made,”
says Ilse de Bruin, managing director
freight forwarding South Africa
operations for UTi. “Companies are
realising that the inclusion of women in
the industry is an imperative business
decision that facilitates balance across
the economy.”
Some 40% of UTi’s workforce is made
up of women across different divisions
and at different levels, with women
involved in driving the business strategy
at executive level to operations and
warehousing.
At the recent Sapics conference at Sun
City, Professior Tagatha Dasgupta from
the University of California in Irvine
was overheard saying he had no idea
the South African supply chain industry
employed so many women.
This bodes well for the industry, say
the experts, who believe the trend to
employ women will continue into the
future, allowing for more women to gain
experience in what has historically been
a male-dominated industry.