The prestigious Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane was the venue for the FTA Everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards 2016 ceremony this week. Now in their 9th year the awards have been sponsored by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) for all of that time and continue to grow in importance as the years pass, with the principal aim being to consolidate and expand the influence of women within the industry.
Proceedings got under way after the usual confident introduction by everywoman co-founders Maxine Benson and Karen Gill who spoke of the advances being made within the industry, with the introduction of new technologies ranging from baseball caps to ensure drivers remain alert to collapsible containers, students on gap year travels acting as cheap couriers to home delivery driver apps to ensure the consignee is in residence.

The point was made that the efforts of the everywoman supporters to create and manage schemes to promote women in logistics were essential in pushing more women into senior management roles where they were able to encourage those coming behind them. The lead industry speaker was Julie Maddocks, now of the FTA but formerly known as ‘Julie the Jambuster’ during her time as Invicta FM’s ‘eye in the sky’ who said, as have so many before her, that her eyes had been opened to the world of logistics and was the first of many to comment on the incredibly high standards set by this year’s 22 award finalists.

Among the judging panel was FTA’s Chief Executive David Wells who presented Caroline Rose, Head of Regional Operations at TNT Express, with the coveted prize of Woman of the Year 2016. Described as a ‘visionary team leader with a proven track record for leading teams,’ Caroline has led depots and staff to set the standard for new initiatives across the organisation. Congratulating Caroline on her success, David Wells said:

“As judges we were asked to find the woman who really stood out amongst the finalists; someone whose innovation, dedication, vision and success made her an outstanding role model. Caroline was all of those things. It is fantastic to see that all of this year’s winners work in very different roles in our industry, and come from organisations as diverse as Shell, TNT and Heathrow Express, reflecting the varying options for those contemplating a career in logistics or transport.”

The FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards 2016 winners are:

Rising Star of the Year Award: Sponsored by The Co-op  Rachel Beckett, Coaching Team Leader - Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company
Driver of the Year Award: Sponsored by Wincanton  Kirsty Sando, Driver Manager - Heathrow Express
The Warehousing Award: Sponsored by CEVA  Helen Page, Team Manager - Mondelez
Innovation & Sustainability Award: Sponsored by Amazon Katherine Trauth, Manager, LNG Marine Fuel Projects - Shell
Team Leader of the Year Award: Sponsored by Hermes Wendy Findlay, Fleet Support Engineer - First Glasgow
Leader of the Year Award - sponsored by Asda Logistics Services  Kathryn Lewis, Operations Director - Advanced Supply Chain
Industry Champion of the Year Award: Sponsored by TNT Jo Field, Head of Campaigns, Communications and Engagement - Transport for London