This year’s winners of the Everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards have been named at a prestigious ceremony and lunch held in London.
Now in their 17th year, the awards celebrate the vital role played by women across the industry and shine a spotlight on the varied and increasing avenues of opportunities available in the traditionally male-dominated industry.
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.
This year’s Everywoman Awards recognise 17 women at the forefront of developments in the transport and logistics sector. There are two winners per category (Leader and Above & Beyond) and one winner for Tech Innovator, International Inspiration, Industry Champion, Male Agent of Change, Apprentice of the Year and Sustainability Champion.
The Woman of the Year Award was awarded to Sarah-May Harrison, operations supervisor at FedEx Express, who was praised for her dedication to dismantling barriers and finding new ways to integrate technology to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Category winners include Ella Harper, who took the Apprentice of the Year accolade. An apprentice toolmaker at Unipart Dorman, Harper was recognised for her enthusiasm for learning, dedication to achieving her goals, and passion for breaking the unconscious bias surrounding women in the industry.
The Customer/Passenger Award (Above & Beyond) went to Hannah Man, communications manager at Go-Ahead London, while the Leader accolade was taken by Zoe Walsh, sales and customer relations director at GLH.
For the Freight Award, Lyndsay Hogg, managing director and founder at Hogg Global Logistics, took the Above & Beyond category while Vanessa Young, director at Ketra Logistics, was given the Leader title.
Astrid van der Burgt, head of road safety at Holcim, was given the Industry Champion Award for her work leading the company’s Women on Wheels programme and more than doubling Holcim’s female truck drivers to over 870.
The Infrastructure Award for Above & Beyond went to Susan Leadbetter, principal consultant at WSP, for her work on the Liveable Places team, where she advocates for safer, more inclusive and accessible designs, especially for underrepresented groups. Leadbetter also spearheaded the 2021 launch of TfL’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment’ campaign, leading to a 300% surge in reporting and inspired similar initiatives globally, and leads WSP’s Women’s Safety, Equality, and Inclusion workstreams across Transport.
Anna Sabatowska, general manager at Movianto UK, took the Leader category in the Infrastructure Award. Judges said her work ethic and inspirational leadership had been pivotal in the UK’s ability to provide world-leading vaccination programmes. Sabatowska also actively champions women in leadership and promotes Everywoman culture through industry collaboration.
Sue Donoghue, CEO Arabian Cluster at DHL Global Forwarding, was given the International Inspiration Award. Donoghue has been instrumental in forming and leading DHL’s largest global project in Saudi Arabia, growing the DHL Global Forwarding entity to over 175 staff, 40% of whom are females, and opening five offices in less than four years.
The Male Agent of Change title went to Ben Evans, new business director at Atkins Réalis, who is celebrated by female colleagues for fostering empowering, authentic and inclusive work environments. The judges described him as “a role model for future generations”.
The Supply Chain Award for Above & Beyond went to Kristina Slekiene, manager, operations at FedEx Express, who has successfully transformed and redefined her workplace culture by emphasizing DE&I, earning her several Bravo Zulu awards from senior management. Amanda Boland, chief people officer at Barnes Logistics, was given the Leader title for her work to increase staff retention by a notable 25% and facilitates career shifts and promotions for women.
The Sustainability Champion Award was taken by Sarah Weller, commercial director at UK Truck & Plant Group, described as the driving force behind the company’s industry-leading sustainability efforts. The business achieved carbon neutrality in 2023, with its sights set on carbon negativity by the end of 2024.
Rebecca Hall, director at HH Driveright, scooped the Tech Innovator Award. Hall co-founded HH Driveright alongside her husband in 2018 and has been instrumental in driving the business to new heights.
Finally, Beysun Duru, 3PL regional manager at Amazon, was given the Warehousing Award Above & Beyond while Sarah Pritchett, general manager at DSV, was handed the Leader title.
Maxine Benson, co-founder of Everywoman, said: “Everywoman continues to play a significant part in recognising exceptional women whose innovation, skills, resilience, and leadership will inspire future generations of women to fulfil their career ambitions in vibrant and dynamic industries. Congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists who continue to demonstrate the vital role women play as role models and innovators in transport and logistics.”
