Sarah-May's win a sign of the times

The 2024 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards winners were announced today at an awards ceremony and luncheon held in London and attended by over 480 industry leaders. 

Sarah-May Harrison won the main award due to a number of remarkable achievements; launching a dedicated data capture centre which led to a company saving of £1.5 million in its first year, pursuing her HGV license and through FedEx’s Women’s Inclusive Network. She’s used her unique talent, British Sign Language and as a Registered Sign Language Interpreter, to have a tremendous impact on the deaf community. In 2023 she shared a video of herself signing BSL greetings, reaching 540,000 people globally with an incredible 70.41% engagement rate. The Judges praised Sarah-May’s dedication to dismantling barriers and finding new ways to integrate technology to ensure equal opportunities for all.

everywoman Woman of the Year Award - Sarah-May Harrison, operations supervisor at FedEx Express

Now in its 17th year, the awards were launched to shine a spotlight on the varied and increasing avenues of opportunities available in the traditionally male-dominated industry and celebrate the vital role that women play within it. Despite progress, only 23% of the industry’s 1.5 million employees identify as women, more than half of these women are in non-transport roles, and alarmingly 54% of organisations lack formal targets, commitments, or quotas for gender diversity.

The Supply Chain Leader awards was won by Amanda Boland, chief people officer at Barnes Logistics. Amanda's journey from HR administrator to Chief People Officer showcases her exceptional talent and dedication, and has a leading role in company culture, leadership, employee development, wellbeing, HR operation and strategy. Her recent initiative won the 2023 Workforce Planning Award at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards, positioning the company as one of the UK’s most successful logistics employers. Amanda has increased staff retention by a notable 25% and facilitates career shifts and promotions for women.

The Above and Beyond in Warehousing award was won by Beysun Duru, 3PL regional manager at Amazon, for driving a European project aimed at enhancing warehouse operations, increasing warehouse delivery accuracy to 99.64% and successfully tackling inventory loss, reducing costs by £1 million in 2023. Beysun’s served as Chair of Amazon's Women External Fulfilment Affinity Group, mentors women, and is a Director of Board at KidzOwn Out of School Club (non-profit).

You can see a full list of the winners here