‘More women coming through’ says logistics professional

Pam, (43), from Derby, has been in the logistics industry for about 20 years and thoroughly enjoys her role because she says ‘every day is different and provides her with a new challenge.’ She believes women generally have the ideal skill set to work in logistics and would be keen to see more women entering the industry.

Pam commented: “Working in logistics wasn’t my original career plan and I’ll admit that I fell into it, but now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and really enjoy my job.

“When I started my career with CML, the role was primarily administrative but as time passed my duties expanded, I took on more responsibility and my job changed to become a lot more logistics based. That’s how I think a lot of people enter into the logistics industry at first, starting in administration jobs and seeing their roles develop and grow from there.”

Pam has worked at CML for eight years where she currently handles imports within the company’s freight department, ensuring that goods are despatched, cleared and delivered from CML’s agents in Asia to its customers in the UK, which include big retailers such as Marks & Spencer and L.K. Bennett.

Although the logistics industry is often viewed as a male orientated sector, times are changing, and in addition to needing drivers and warehouse operatives there is also a big requirement for customer-facing personnel with expertise in the industries in which customers operate.

Pam’s role is primarily customer facing, she said, “No one day is the same and that’s what I love most about my role. You never know what challenges you will face when you arrive in the morning; it’s a great feeling to be able to overcome all the challenges thrown at me and receive recognition from customers thanking me for doing a good job and meeting their targets.”

When Pam started out in the logistics industry, she initially found it to be a very male dominated environment however, now she believes times are changing.

She said, “There was no getting away from it, when I first started there were hardly any women working in the logistics sector but now there is much more diversity and it’s great to see lots more women coming through. I would like to see more women in similar roles though as I think generally speaking we have a lot of the skills required to succeed in the industry.

“My job involves being organised, having the ability to multitask, think on the spot and juggle your day. Women are, on average, well-known for being good at prioritisation, organisation and communication and these are all key skills they need to work in the sector.”

Out of a total 216 permanent employees at CML, 35 per cent are women, a figure which CML is keen to see increase. Currently the logistics specialist employs 76 women at its Lutterworth headquarters this includes 52 warehouse operatives, 12 administration staff, seven supervisors, three managers and two members of IT support.

Graham Copley, Managing Director of CML, commented, “Promoting diversity in the work place is very important to us here at CML. We are encouraged that more women appear to be entering the logistics industry but would be eager to see this develop further.

“Logistics permeates every industry and business sector in the world and addressing perceptions that the logistics industry is a career option for a specific type of person only has become the challenge. It’s hard to escape the impression that logistics roles primarily involve manual labour, such as moving or lifting, but logistics encompasses much more than that, and as well as requiring drivers and warehouse operatives we also need those interested in business development that are able to provide second-to-none customer service.”

Centrally based at Magna Park in Lutterworth, CML is a privately owned supply-chain services company specialising in retail warehousing and distribution, along with global freight forwarding services. Their 270,000 sq ft warehouse services retail giants and they provide bespoke solutions for many other distinguished brands and suppliers.