GEODIS Supports Improved Diversity in Logistics

In an industry which most would characterize as lacking women representation, GEODIS, the leader in global logistics, wants to prove that diversity and inclusion is key to delivering innovative solutions. With the program it is conducting in the Asia Pacific region, GEODIS enables women to open the door on the world of logistics wider than ever before. 
  
The recently celebrated International Women’s Day drew additional focus to the issue of gender equality.  The IWD slogan, ‘An Equal World Is An Enabled World’ encapsulates the thrust of the on-going campaign, which fits perfectly with key elements of GEODIS’ culture.  

“Alignment between the aims of the IWD organization and ourselves at GEODIS lies particularly in championing a hiring process where the most appropriate person gets the role, regardless of gender, because we are focused on delivering what is best for the business and for our customers”, illustrated Anne Tan, Head of HR in APAC.  

“Additionally, we are committed to celebrating our women and men who lead others towards a more equal workplace, distinguishing GEODIS from its competition in an otherwise male dominated logistics industry.”
Onno Boots, GEODIS’ CEO for APAC reflected, “Women now constitute a third of our management board in APAC; up from zero just a little over a year ago,” he said. “It shows our commitment to diversity and inclusion. It is also strong evidence of the range of talented women who are now attracted to the world of logistics.  At our country management level across the region, 40% of the team are women.”

Logistics and the global supply chain it serves are going through a period of rapid transformation.  This time of change is challenging for an industry where the push to digitalize processes is complicated by how interconnected and cross border the global business environment now is. In this context GEODIS believes that a culture of diversity, crucially with an equal commitment to inclusivity, are key to achieving dynamism, creativity and fresh approaches to problem solving that are required to react to such a need for change.  

In terms of practical initiatives employed to advance this policy, GEODIS emphasizes education of its staff about gender neutral policies, localized provision of family care and flexible working hours. A great example is the establishment of an active GEODIS’ Women Network where women and men come together to learn about how diversity and inclusion create a better work environment and growth for all aspects of the business and organization.

In addition, for the whole of March, internal initiatives took place to underscore the messages of IWD and those of GEODIS’ policies.  These included various employee activities in countries where the staff gathered to demonstrate their personal support; upholding the commitment to, and learning about, the collective journey GEODIS is on to build an equal and inclusive workplace. 

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