A team of 10 members from Women in Transport competed in a series of physical, mental and skill-based challenges as part of the very first Big Logistics and Transport Diversity Challenge hosted by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
More than 300 industry professionals participated in the event on Wednesday 26 June 2019 at Newark Showground to celebrate the Institute’s centenary year. The Women in Transport team reflected the diverse nature of our membership and included:
Sonya Veerasamy, CEO, Women in Transport
Dorota Konieczna, Associate Director, Movement Strategies (Board member of Women in Transport)
Clare Sheffield, Director, Transport Strategy and Analysis, Clare Sheffield Consulting Ltd
Marny Moruzzi, Associate Project Manager, Mott MacDonald
Elaine Mackenzie, Customer Service Supervisor, TfL
John Dearing, Business Development Director, ENGIE (Advance mentor)
Steve Griffiths, Director, West 36 Consulting (Advance mentor)
Gary Lincoln, Group Director, TXM Group (Advance mentor)
Gavin Hanrahan , Group Director, TXM Group
Zoe Howard, Marketing Coordinator, TXM Recruit
The team had a great deal of fun tackling 12 different challenges which included a Hungry Hippos, Diversity Dance Off, Walk the Plank and a Haka. They came away from the day exhausted but elated and all appreciated the opportunity to be part of important event that promoted the benefits of a diverse workforce to the transport and logistics sector.
You can see more highlights from the team challenges on Twitter @transportwm including the winning tweet of the day by Zoe.
Sonya Veerasamy, CEO, Women in Transport commented:
Many of our team met for the first time at the event and had never worked together in a team before. We all have completely different jobs in various companies, live in different parts of the UK, come from different backgrounds, different family dynamics and the thing that unites us is working in the transport sector and being members of Women in Transport. It was fantastic to see such a diverse team representing our sector and embracing the opportunity to promote diversity and inclusion in our profession.
The event raised money for Aspire, the charitable careers foundation within CILT(UK) that provides funded opportunities for education, training and development to UK and international applicants.
Women in Transport board member and Commercial Account Director at Amey, Anna Delvecchio FCILT, was instrumental in organising the event. Anna said: “I am delighted to be working with Nimble Media and CILT shaping the first ever Big Logistics and Transport Diversity Challenge. Thank you to all of the organisations who are participating in this year’s event, the supporting partners and to the team at Nimble Media for making this event a great success”.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE FCILT, Chair, Network Rail and International President, CILT, said: “Transport and logistics are crucial to keep our economy growing and to create jobs and build houses; taking people from home to work, and goods and services wherever they’re needed. We employ hundreds and thousands of people across the UK and in order to eliminate skills shortages and to cope with an ageing workforce we must embrace diversity in every respect. This is a fantastic initiative to do just that.”
Paul Sainthouse FCILT, Managing Director, Dawson group bus and coach and President, CILT(UK), said: “A diverse workforce – which includes representation from every aspect of broader society – throughout our profession will be crucial to ensuring the success of our industries for many years to come.”
One of the tasks included in the event was an opportunity to engage with CILT to identify key barriers to diversity and inclusion and to identify opportunities for driving change. CILT has announced that a subsequent series of round tables and a plan for engaging industry decision makers will be rolled out to capitalise on the day’s learning.
Members of Women in Transport benefit from networking with like-minded professionals, professional development workshops and technical talks, mentoring and access to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport.
Follow us @transportwm or on Linkedin Women in Transport for events, news and updates.