A woman’s world
Page 34
Page 35
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
As networking group Women in Logistics UK approaches its third birthday, founder Ruth Waring tells CM how the group has grown Words: Laura Hailstone From humble beginnings on professional network website LinkedIn, Women in Logistics UK (WIL UK) now boasts more than 1,750 male and female members.
The brainchild of Ruth Waring, MD of Labyrinth Logistics Consulting, it was set up in 2008 to support the careers of women in the logistics ield.
The not-for-proit organisation aims to increase the number of women in the sector and improve life for those women already working in logistics. It also holds events that provide great networking opportunities, as well as being fun.
Waring tells CM: “It had been in my mind for many years, ever since I started working in the transport industry as a graduate trainee for Exel Logistics in 1989.
“I found the transition from university life to the realities of the depot nightshift quite stark, and decided the only way I was going to survive was to shut down the more feminine aspects of my personality, which I felt was a great shame.” From that moment onwards, Waring began to think that it would be great to have a group to support women working in logistics.
“I inally got the idea off the ground 17 years on, following a career that has seen me working in the retail, automotive and publishing sectors [always within transport and haulage], and later working as a selfemployed consultant.
“During this time, my experiences at the sharper end of the supply chain just reinforced the idea that such a group would beneit many people,” she says.
Good timing
By September 2008, the professional networking site LinkedIn had reached a tipping point that made it possible for Waring to get the group off the ground via this website.
“I had built up a core contacts base – women I knew who would support the initiative from the outset,” she explains. “Clare Bottle [the current chair of WIL] in particular was a great early supporter, and still is. Once we got to 40 members on LinkedIn, I decided ‘the train had left the station’ and we had enough people to justify a meeting in the real world.” The inaugural WIL meeting took place on 15 January 2009 at Jigsaw Solutions HQ with 19 attendees, who collectively set out the objectives of the group and organised its structure.
“Incredibly, half the membership turned up and it was clear from the start that the group was going to be amazing – the room was buzzing. A steering committee of 10 was formed, and we established a few ground rules. These included that we would welcome men into the group [about 18% of members] and we would be entirely voluntary – have no bank account, charge no fees and aim to put on free events.
“Our main aims were to provide networking and mentoring opportunities for women in the industry, retain the great female talent we have in logistics and attract the next generation of women,” says Waring.
The snowball effect
On 21 May 2009, WIL held its irst event, an educational one, at Pearson Shared Services in Rugby, where Penguin Books are distributed.
“We had about 45 people turn up and I knew that my vision all those years ago was inally coming true,” recalls Waring. “The North Western Area Trafic Commissioner Beverley Bell was a speaker and has supported us well since, and we had various speakers on the topic of ‘Inspiring Women’ . I spoke on my favourite subject – networking skills and strategies, an area where many of our members have asked for more assistance. The food was great and we had certainly set the tone for future events.” Feedback was rapturous, adds Waring.
“Comments focused around ‘inally the type of event in which women working in logistics really want to attend’ . But something amazing also happened; the handful of men who attended commented on how strange it was to be so out-numbered by the opposite sex. They inally ‘got it’ – this is the world we constantly inhabit, and it’s not always a comfortable one.”
Achievement
Asked how she feels about the fast rise of the group, Waring says “its overwhelming” .
“We have about 1,750 members and there are up to 40 people waiting to join in any given week. I am incredibly proud of what I have created. I feel we are a true force for good in the industry and that a large number of women will now be retained – which can only beneit all involved.”
She adds that she is inally able to “bring back that feminine side I put away in 1989, and wow, it feels incredible” . ■