According to the Transport Exchange Group, women are heavily underrepresented in the logistics industry, making up just 20 per cent of the workforce. This is thought to be one of the biggest gender imbalances in UK business. Going against this curve, 40 per cent of Europa Worldwide Group’s workforce is female, from junior operations roles through to senior management.
We take bold steps
In celebration of this, as part of International Women’s Day, Europa launched its first campaign asking its team to nominate a female colleague, who demonstrates the company value, “we take bold steps that stretch our individual and cumulative potential”.
Individuals from each part of the business, Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Warehouse and Europa Worldwide Group, were chosen because they constantly take bold steps to better themselves, their colleagues and the company.
The nominees covered all 20 of Europa’s UK sites, as well as it’s locations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Many of the stand-out individuals are long standing team members, with Europa careers spanning over a decade. As a thank you, the winning nominees each received a bouquet of flowers, presented to them by their managers.
Road freight and group nominations
Europa’s directors chose 10 individuals out of 175 nominations. The individuals from Europa Road in Dartford were Road Domestic Transport Supervisor Cherri Folkes, Senior Customs Declarant Abigail Mayzes, and European Operator Jennifer Cooper. Also nominated was Sheffield’s Branch Manager Caroline Lister. From Europa Worldwide Group’s central services, Dartford’s Cost Accountant Helene Knight was nominated as was Human Resources Business Partner, Debra Rodgers. Debra splits her time between Corby and Birmingham.
Dartford-based Operator for Europa Road, Lorna Rushbrook, is a long-standing nominee, having been a “dedicated and reliable” team member for over 14 years.
Other nominees were relatively new team members, who have demonstrated their skills, dedication and support for the company and its customers over shorter tenures.
Mirabel Akarawe, for example, has been with Europa Road Rotterdam for just five months and was nominated for her “drive to grow and expand her knowledge”, which will “stretch the potential of the team”. Mirabel joined as Import Customs Operator and immediately relocated to the Netherlands from her home in Ireland.
Air freight and sea freight nominations
In Europa Air & Sea, Heathrow-based Air Freight Operations Administrator Lorraine Gilbey was nominated for “going out of her way to help anyone”, even if the person needing assistance is not in her department. Europa Air & Sea has 35 per cent female representation, with sites located across the UK, Hong Kong, China and the UAE, and Lorraine is one of many stand-out individuals nominated for their hard work.
Warehouse logistics
In Europa Warehouse, Senior Contract Supervisor Dana Martin, Dartford, was nominated for her willingness to take on any challenge, “no matter how big or small”. Dana has been praised for her commitment to work, and her colleagues are all of the opinion that she brings maximum value to Team Europa.
Europa Warehouse, which comprises third-party logistics (3PL) and bonded warehouse facilities in Dartford, Birmingham and Corby has 43 per cent of women, across all roles from operations right to senior management.
Celebrating female team members
Europa was established in 1966, when just over 50 per cent of adult females worked. Nowadays, the figure is approximately 73 per cent. The logistics industry has a long way to go with female representation. As an industry-leader with an ever-expanding team, Europa continues to celebrate its female team members.
Europa overview
Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with three divisions, Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, and Europa Warehouse, and has been featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for three years. Europa has invested £5 million in its innovative market-leading product, Europa Flow, providing a frictionless flow of goods between the EU and the UK post Brexit. The group employs over 1,400 people with 29 international sites in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Europe, Hong Kong, China and the UAE. The global operator recently reported a record turnover of £316m for the last 12 months, as of August 2022, and remains on track with its ambitious investment programme.
