March 8, 2025 • 31 mins
Supply chain and logistics have long been male-dominated industries—but that’s changing, as more women are stepping into leadership roles, driving innovation, and shaping the future of global operations. What challenges have these women faced along the way? And what still needs to change to create a truly inclusive industry?
This week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, host Ellen Wood sits down with leaders, consultants, and changemakers from Miebach to discuss their journeys as women in supply chain. From overcoming bias to advocating for workplace equity, they share firsthand experiences, pivotal career moments, and the progress they’ve witnessed. We also explore how mentorship, company policies, and male allyship can help create lasting change.
Discussed in this episode:
This week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, host Ellen Wood sits down with leaders, consultants, and changemakers from Miebach to discuss their journeys as women in supply chain. From overcoming bias to advocating for workplace equity, they share firsthand experiences, pivotal career moments, and the progress they’ve witnessed. We also explore how mentorship, company policies, and male allyship can help create lasting change.
Discussed in this episode:
- Breaking stereotypes and navigating gender bias in logistics
- How companies can foster inclusivity and support women in leadership
- Advice for the next generation of women in supply chain
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to Speaking of Supply Chain, a meboch podcast.
This is a show for logistics professionals looking to learn
more about the latest innovations in supply chain. Each episode
will feature a conversation on topics such as mitigating supply
chain disruption and reducing risk, current automation trends, sustainability initiatives,
and more. Let's dive right in.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Hello, and welcome to Speaking of Supply Chain, where we
explore trends, current events, and innovations impacting the logistics and
supply chain industries. I'm your host, Ellen Wood. Today we
are doing something a little bit different for International Women's Day.
This episode highlights the journeys, challenges, and triumphs of women
in a traditionally male dominated industry. Through their stories, we're
(00:55):
going to explore what inspired them to enter the field,
the obstacles they've overcome, and their hopes for the future.
Welcome to this special International Women's Day episode where we're
speaking with incredible women from across meetbook consulting. These leaders, consultants,
and innovators share their experiences working in a traditionally male
(01:18):
dominated industry, offering insights on challenges, progress and what still
needs to change. Throughout this episode, you'll hear the stories
in their own words, But before we dive in, let's
take a moment to recognize that change doesn't happen in isolation.
Gender diversity is not just about women supporting women. It's
about everyone working together to create an inclusive environment. Our
(01:42):
male allies play a crucial role in this progress, whether
through mentorship, advocacy, or simply ensuring all voices are heard.
As we hear from these women about what drew them
to supply chain and logistics, consider this, how can we, all,
regardless of our gender, champion diversity in our workplaces. The
(02:02):
women at me back that we'll be hearing from today
include Christina, Lena, Carolina Verena, Monique, Deanna, Maria Euhana, and Maria.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I think carea is something that definitely wanted to talk about.
I looked at your questions and the inspirations for this
talk and I had many different thoughts on my mind.
For example, when you say what inspired you to pursue
this career and how did it unfold? And I think
(02:35):
it was a very interesting journey. I thought back about
when I first thought about, Oh, what do I want
to study? What do I want to become? Where am
I heading to? And my dad was saying, oh, what
about a teacher? Oh this is great, And one of
the first things he said was you can combine it
(02:56):
so well with family. I'm like, you know, this was
like I graduated ninety nine, right, so it was still
some time ago, but even back then it made me
mad because I thought, why should I choose a career
that is very well combinable with family. I want to
choose what I like, and that's what I did, you know.
(03:18):
And it's not like that my family disagreed or that
they tried to make me choose a different path. And
I think it was the right path. Entering then the
world of consulting. Yes, I have thought about, oh, how
is this going to end? This is probably a super
interesting but also quite stressful job, and how long am
(03:39):
I going to be doing this? And by now I've
been doing this for seventeen years. It's crazy and it
has been an extremely interesting journey because, as I mean
the nature of consulting, you always have different projects, and
you you have always new customers and new clients. Sometimes
(04:00):
it's sad to see a client go, but sometimes you're
like gosh, good thing, this is over, off the.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
New world onto the next thing.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yes, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Luckily I never got pushed back at all, so I
always got support in the ways I wanted to choose,
which I think I maybe I'm very lucky for I
was like from my family and from all the sides.
So for me, since I'm young, it was quite clear
that I want to go somewhere into science or engineering,
so something kind of technical. Already doing school, I was
(04:35):
more like the mathematics and physics girl, and not maybe
that much like the language girl. So that part was
always kind of in front of me. And yeah, luckily
my parents they supported it, so they never tried me
to push me into any other direction. They both also scientists,
so maybe that also helped. Probably in general, I also
(04:56):
agree with Christina, it's important that we go the part
we want to go, not thinking about can we do
that as a woman? Can we and one day combine
it with a family, I think when we're just going
it and we figured it out at the end, that's
the way how we make the change at the end,
not trying to avoid these maybe complicated ways, but just
(05:19):
do what we like to do.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
It was pretty much fifty fifty. I didn't know anything
over there. Once I came back to Chile, I had
to rethink what I wanted to do. It was the
first time because I finished the university, I moved there,
I kept studying, and then I moved to here. And
when you were asking me, what made you think about
(05:41):
like chain, I think it was one class that I
had in the university that I was so cool, so interesting,
and it was about all the logistics, and I said, okay,
I'm going to go through that feel I think. And
on the other hand, I really loved consultancy because, like
everybody else would tell you, it's so cool to have
(06:02):
different projects all the time and you're working with different
people permanently, and also you were constantly learning so many things.
Speaker 6 (06:13):
How I came to logistics and especially also consulting, there
was not one defining moment that made me choose this industry.
It was more that during my studies I had the
impression that with working as a consultant, you become really
good in what you're doing, and I wanted to become good.
(06:35):
So consulting was the first direction for me after my
master's degree and logistics. Why did I choose logistics. I
really like boxes. I like boxes like where you can
put I don't know where you can put just your
private things in and organize your home. So that was
(06:55):
one big part. But also I always associated logistics with organing,
which I am good at, and that drove me to
that direction. But of course, and now my work is
including much more than organizing. It's planning, analyzing, explaining everything.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's everything you love, just in a bigger scale.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah, for some the path to supply chain was clear
from the start, while for others, like myself, found their
way here unexpectedly. But regardless of how they arrived, their
journeys share a common thread, the drive to tackle complex
challenges and make an impact. Of course, working in this
field as a woman often comes with unique obstacles. Let's
(07:42):
hear about some of the challenges these professionals have faced
and how they've navigated them.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah. I was thinking about the obstacles like and I
remember to you, but I'm not completely sure if it
was because I was a femail or because I was
too young.
Speaker 7 (08:01):
Okay, because you know that this is the only place
that your gray hair is very valuable in different other jobs,
they said, you're too old for this and they want
to dismiss you. But here all your clients really value
(08:21):
that all the experience that you have, so that could
be a difference.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But I remember in my very first project, it was
a team of female but the manager I was working with,
she has a lot of experience, and this client, I
was absolutely invisible for him, and I hated it. I
will go to with her to the office of and
he will not say hello, he will not look at me.
(08:47):
I was nobody and it was so painful for me.
I felt horrible all the time. But I think it
was because I was too young.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
I just wanted to say something. The biggest challenge that
I had in my entire career in the industry was
not even from men. It was from women.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
Oh.
Speaker 8 (09:10):
As a woman, my challenges came from women.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
My biggest challenges in a good way or in a
bad way.
Speaker 8 (09:19):
No, in a bad way, oh now in bad situation.
Bad challenges that came from women, not even men.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
Ah.
Speaker 8 (09:29):
And exactly so, we are not a lot in the industry,
especially in leadership roles and leadiership seeks. But when we
are please, we need to be more. How do we
say so?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, solidarity. We need to have more solidarity.
Speaker 8 (09:46):
Yeah, solidarity.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (09:48):
Something I don't want to know is that historically there
have been very specific general rules. Right maybe women stay behind,
they don't work, they take care of the children, they
take care of the house. I think nowadays those gender
roles are traditionally still there, but a lot of people
choose not to follow them, and that's okay. We as
(10:09):
a society altogether, especially in North America, we're accepting that
you can choose whatever path you want to choose as
a person, not just as a woman or as a man,
As a person, you can choose whatever path, and that
is really great because then that allows you to make
the choices that you're talking about, Helen. So if you're
talking about children or time dedicated to do XYZ. See
(10:31):
how I'm very vague in my examples because I dont
want to select for somebody else. But if I want
to select my time to be dedicated to something else,
then I am happy to make that choice. And then
I make it a choice as a person, not society
defining it for me or my job not allowing me
to make those choices.
Speaker 10 (10:52):
Absolutely, as you can imagine, I've been in this industry
for twenty eight years or something like that, so it's
been a while. And in my experience, I've had everything.
I've had great experiences, I've had really awkward experiences, and
I've had difficult experiences. I mean all of them from
(11:14):
having to kind of make yourself colder or have an
appearance that did not invite for anything. But also I've
had great experiences. I've had a couple of mentors in
my life that have been really good, both men and women,
and I think those need to be spoken about. And
I've also had leaders that were not so good that
(11:35):
I had to confront. Also, one of the things that
I didn't like for quite some time is that because
I decided not to be a mom, that they used
me as an example with the younger ones. Because I
felt that was not right. I felt that it's a choice.
It shouldn't be that because you are available all the time,
then this will use you with the younger ones to
(11:57):
also be available all the time. Men take away their choice,
which you know, I don't find it to be correct.
And I also have to hear many comments saying that
prety much if you become a mom, you're not able
to work in this world, well, in this business rather
in this sector anymore. Also that I had to confront
(12:19):
those type of situations quite often and fight for them
and say, hey, that's not right. We cannot do it
with your mentality. But it's definitely something that can be done,
and we have to encourage them to do it. So
the good thing is that with new at least in Spain,
with a new leave of absence laws for men, that
(12:39):
has changed quite a bit. That has helped a lot
because they get the same amount of time off men
and women, so that way is much more difficult to
discriminate when that happens.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
From being underestimated to being the only woman in the room.
These challenges are all too common, but progress is happening.
More women are steps into leadership, advocating for inclusivity and
pushing for real change. But how does this change happen?
It starts with awareness and action. Organizations need a foster
environment where everyone, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to succeed.
(13:15):
So what have our guests seen in terms of progress?
Speaker 9 (13:19):
If I want to select my time to be dedicated
to something else, then I am happy to make that choice,
and then I make it a choice as a person,
not society defining it for me, or my job not
allowing me to make those choices. If we're talking about barriers,
because I was saying I don't really think there are
necessarily barriers in itself, is just choices. But if there
(13:42):
was a barrier, I would select, would be the expectation.
There are so many because of these traditional gender roles allocation.
You said, you imagine a truck driver, you imagine a male,
maybe you think about a nurse, and you think about
a woman, right, that would be the stereotype that I
would try to break. A profession is a profession, A job.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Is a job like that.
Speaker 11 (14:04):
In the past, we had these mindset in which only
men worked hard and women had other goals in life,
and I see this it's changing fortunately, also very much
with the new generations, and everything's just fine. You know,
there are men that have also other goals in life
(14:25):
and women who also like to work hard. So I'm
very happy to see how the new generations are bringing
these topics to our agendas, to our discussions. And I'd
say it's not a linear way of approaching it. It's
just considering that there are different goals in life. Or
opinions or life situations which it's not only related to gender.
(14:51):
I still see those barriers when I speak to women
in consulting. There still exists these difference between women in consulting,
especially as an engineer or in supply chain in logistics
in which it's mostly men industry. Still, I'm very happy
to see that there are every time more and more
(15:12):
women in this field, but I know there still exists barrier,
and I feel it's very important from our leaders and
our leadership to empower these women in consulting in front
of our clients, our audiences, our publics, our external publics,
to give these women the power to lead their projects,
(15:35):
their clients, to manage different situations, and not to have
it limited to men, which usually happened in the past.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
I slowly see more women being present in the logistics
and management positions, and I also see more campaigns with
the focus on supporting women, not only in BIBA, but
also in other companies with let's say, an engineering focus.
Doesn't need to be only logistics, but with this more
technical engineering focus, and I think this increases in general
(16:09):
the visibility of women in logistics and engineering, which I
think is very important because I think it's not only
to have women in this engineering or technical topics. I
think it's really to support in terms of having female
role models and mentors to look up. And I think, yeah,
(16:30):
with this development I see in the last years, I
think this is going in the right direction.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
We still need to have more representation, like in the
higher manager level. I think if we're using that part yet,
so we're working for that.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
I agree. I spoke with one of our other colleagues
this morning saying that for an organization that we do
focus a lot on continuous improvement, both for our clients
and internally. We are always looking to improve process as
is cut waste, streamline, but looking for improvement at every
step of growth. And that is one thing that we
(17:09):
do continue to look at is are we looking for
and are we teaching? Are we enabling? Are we training
our female members on what it requires in order to
take some of these leadership positions and some of these
more managerial roles. Are we giving the women the opportunity
(17:29):
to sit at that table as opposed to just saying, oh, no,
that's that's where the men play, and we don't we
look for ways to encourage the women in our organization
to reach and to expand their careers and their capabilities
beyond maybe what they thought they would do. I mean,
a consultant doesn't usually go into it saying I'm going
to be a shareholder of my consultancy in fifteen years,
(17:52):
that's my goal. Perhaps they do, but a lot of
times it's just following, as you said, following what you
enjoyed doing and where you felt that you wanted to
participate in your career and finding the places that really
felt best, whether it's that one supply chain class that
did it for you and brought you into the logistics area.
(18:13):
Just following that, oh, this is interesting and I want
to do this, or this is interesting and I want
to try that, and finding out where it leads you
without having any ceiling that you're going to come up
against to say this is as far as you get
to go.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
The landscape is shifting and companies like Mibach are playing
a role in making that happen. But as we move forward,
what else can we do to support women in supply
chain and logistics. Beyond individual career growth, real progress comes
from organizational change. Here's some advice for companies that truly
want to make a difference.
Speaker 9 (18:48):
Actually, I haven't gotten the certification yet, but I did
put the effort to study, and I could see and
even him he recognized as to while you've maybe six
months later I had a significant growth in those areas.
And then afterwards he was no longer my boss for
other different reasons. But at least that allowed me to
have an incredible growth in like six months, just simply
(19:11):
because I was very annoyed at the no.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Hell, hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Speaker 9 (19:19):
Yeah, something like that. But opportunity or not is like
it resulted in what I actually needed at the end
of the day, but not in a happy way. I
feel like there's so many other ways you could motivate
someone to learn, but it had a good result.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Exactly. He could have said yes, and you'd be like, oh, okay,
I guess I'm doing this, and it would have been
the same result, but with a different attitude behind it,
a different drive.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
Exactly.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
I still don't know, do you really have to work
harder because if you're a female or not, I'm not sure.
But once he discovered that I was doing a good all,
then he started treating me differently. And at some point
I moved from being nobody to Carolita, which was like
a very nice way to call me, and it was
(20:13):
how are you today. I was like, Wow, that's an
important step for me.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, that's an important step in everyone's career.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Yeah, absolutely, or or they have we have this other
client that every time we will go to his office again.
I was working with the same female manager and he
would say, oh, these little girls are coming here again,
and you will sound like is this right or is
it not correct? The way that you're treating us, And
(20:43):
then he will say, oh, everything that you are presenting
to us, I already know all this information. Now you're
not doing anything extra for us whatever. And once we
started developing the project, then we want his trust and
then he realized, Okay, these two girls are really doing
a good job. He kept using the little girls phrase
(21:08):
to bel but at least he changed the way he
treated us because he knew we were working really hard
to give him a good solution.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
What keeps me here today at Biberch and the Supply
Chain Consulting, it's the different projects and the goals we
are working for for our clients. Our projects often have
a very big impact on our clients' business and are
therefore very important for our clients, and this gives them
(21:42):
a high priority. They have a clear start, a clear
goal to work towards, and this I find really fulfilling
and rewarding to work for those kind of projects. And
of course what is the best for me because I'm
working in our engineer services. The best is really too
(22:02):
in a realization phase to see become life and become
reality what you've planned for months.
Speaker 8 (22:10):
And years before. That is really the best part for me.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Those moments of recognition when you realize your work matters,
your contributions are valued and you belong are what make
the challenges all worthwhile. But to create more of these
moments for future generations, we need to keep pushing for progress.
What barriers still exist and how can we break them?
Speaker 8 (22:34):
Yeah, so that will be the wage discrequency and that
will be also maybe something that Jenna also mentioned before.
So it was mainly male dominated the supply chain and
the logistic and I want to show that even being
feminine we can fully be part of this world. For example,
(22:54):
people picture a truck driver as a male, or at
least a female looks like a male. No, we can
still be semini even working in a world mainly dominated
by male So I don't want to sacrifice my humanity
for that.
Speaker 11 (23:14):
I would suggest all women to always speak up their opinions.
There are points of view to address. If they are
not feeling comfortable with a situation with a person with anything,
to speak it up. To also find those people in
which they can feel comfortable to address topics, to speak topics,
(23:35):
and I feel in my role as a human resources professional,
I also have this responsibility to be next to women
to also accompany them whenever they have a situation in
which we can work it out together. So yeah, my
advice would be to always speak up what they feel.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
We need to have more, at least a couple of
female in this right so you can see that there's
more and.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Are you applying for that or are you vuying for
that job?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
No.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
But on the other hand, I have to say that
all these flexibility models that we've been working for people development,
it's developing also in favor of females, and they're trying
to balance with their own families when you want to
have babies. I have two kids, and I never felt
left behind because I wanted to be a mother. So
(24:29):
it's being a nice place so far. So and I
hope other candidates can notice how great this this is,
that we have a nice company that takes care of
you and we are aware of this situation.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah, and I forget who I was speaking to. It
was one of the other interviews I did yesterday, and
she said that the balancing the better balance of parental
leave to include men has actually done more than doing
anything for the women, because then the men get to
experience that they see that parenthood is something that they
(25:07):
should be a part of their families. But not only that,
that they understand the sacrifices that people male or female
do make for their families in order to advance their
careers and put in the effort at work. And it's
not gender based, it's just work. Having a family is work,
(25:30):
and it requires parents, and it requires a workplace that
gives you that flexibility to be there for your kids
when they get sick or when they have a school play.
And it shouldn't just be the moms doing that. It
should absolutely be the father's being present in their children's lives.
(25:50):
And the more that we open that up to them
and have them into the traditional mom spaces. I think
the more mom spaces are going to open up in
various companies to enable the women to then achieve those
higher statuses within their organization because of that flexibility that
you were just mentioning.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
The road to equity isn't just about increasing representation. It's
about changing the structures that make it difficult for women
to rise from wage gaps to outdated expectations. There's still
work to be done, So what's the next step. Let's
hear from these women on the barriers they see and
what they believe needs to change to create a truly
inclusive industry.
Speaker 9 (26:33):
I don't want to say it was a turning point
in my career or so impactful, but when I think back,
it really has shaped the way my career goes into
them and basically I will still find your personal brand,
what defines you and what other people take away when
(26:55):
they meet with you. So I went ahead and I
did it, and I think the reason why it you
can imagine why it's not so impactful, but it shapes
my career. It's because it gives me this both levels
of curiosity of it started the curiosity of who I
am what do I want to leave behind with the
(27:18):
people I interact with? And that has always been very
important for me, and it also has a component of
self compassion as well. I am a certain way and
that's okay because that defines my branding and a lot
of people will find that useful if I use it
in an empowering way.
Speaker 8 (27:38):
The biggest piece of advice that I had in my
career was from a woman. So she used to be
one of my manager and mentor. When I used to
managers threepl on a daily basis, I used to do
lots of garbage hours, if I can say, and not
(28:01):
being very efficient and productive. And she was a very
strong and independent woman, and I was always like, how
are you able to manage your work day so efficiently
and so productively? And she told me, you need to
read the four Hour of Workship by Tom Perris, so
(28:22):
work smarter and work harder. And I think that was
the biggest piece of advice that she gave to me
because that kind of helped me, okay, prioritize things better,
and that helped me also go through my daily challenges
within the warehouse. So I think that was one of
(28:43):
the biggest piece of advice that she gave to me.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I like it.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
I think it's following what you're really interested in and
what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing. And
it doesn't matter what you feel, it is what the
industry it is. I think the most important thing is
that it makes you happy, because I think if people
are happy, they can do the best as they can
do and they can be the best. And the Yeah,
I think we all know that if we do something
(29:08):
what makes us happy, yeah, we can do best and
be best and also inspire others. So yeah, I would
tell this two young women. Don't hear about what others
say if you should or shouldn't do anything. Just yeah,
try to hear in your inner self with what you
really enjoy and where you feel. Just feel good and
thee oh, the rest we'll figure out for itself. When
(29:30):
I started working for me Bach, I never really thought
about if I can one day combine the job with
a family or not. For example, I just knew I
would like to do that now because when I started working,
I was I don't know, in my mid twenties, so
family was like far away. But then when I started
I saw the woman at me Berg being a consultant
(29:50):
for many years and having children, so I thought, oh,
that's so cool that it can work, even though I
never thought about it. So I also I never doubted
it or anything. It was just kind of not yeah
in my mind.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
The future of this industry depends on diverse voices, and
women are shaping it every day, but we can't do
it alone. Change happens when companies commit to inclusivity, when
allies amplify underrepresented voices, and when each of us encourages
the next generation to follow their passion. Thank you for listening.
Let's keep the conversation going. That brings us to the
(30:30):
end of this episode. Thank you so much to my
colleagues the ladies at meeboch for sharing their experiences and
insights with us today. If you have a suggestion for
a topic or would like to be a guest on
our show, we'd love to hear from you. You can
contact me at podcasts at meebok dot com at any time.
As always, thanks for listening to Speaking of supply Chain.
(30:52):
If you enjoyed our show, please rate and review us
on whatever podcast platform you prefer, Apple Podcasts, Google or Spotify,
and be sure to in next time.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Meeboch Consulting is one of the largest and most globally
recognized supply chain consulting, engineering, and advisory firms. For nearly
fifty years, we've helped clients achieve supply chain excellence and
sustainable competitive advantage across the entire spectrum of the supply
chain by delivering improvements and innovation strategically, tactically, and digitally.
(31:27):
To learn more of visit meeboch dot com. You've been
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latest in supply chain information. Thanks for listening. Until next time.
You're listening to Speaking of Supply Chain, a meboch podcast.
This is a show for logistics professionals looking to learn
more about the latest innovations in supply chain. Each episode
will feature a conversation on topics such as mitigating supply
chain disruption and reducing risk, current automation trends, sustainability initiatives,
and more. Let's dive right in.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Hello, and welcome to Speaking of Supply Chain, where we
explore trends, current events, and innovations impacting the logistics and
supply chain industries. I'm your host, Ellen Wood. Today we
are doing something a little bit different for International Women's Day.
This episode highlights the journeys, challenges, and triumphs of women
in a traditionally male dominated industry. Through their stories, we're
(00:55):
going to explore what inspired them to enter the field,
the obstacles they've overcome, and their hopes for the future.
Welcome to this special International Women's Day episode where we're
speaking with incredible women from across meetbook consulting. These leaders, consultants,
and innovators share their experiences working in a traditionally male
(01:18):
dominated industry, offering insights on challenges, progress and what still
needs to change. Throughout this episode, you'll hear the stories
in their own words, But before we dive in, let's
take a moment to recognize that change doesn't happen in isolation.
Gender diversity is not just about women supporting women. It's
about everyone working together to create an inclusive environment. Our
(01:42):
male allies play a crucial role in this progress, whether
through mentorship, advocacy, or simply ensuring all voices are heard.
As we hear from these women about what drew them
to supply chain and logistics, consider this, how can we, all,
regardless of our gender, champion diversity in our workplaces. The
(02:02):
women at me back that we'll be hearing from today
include Christina, Lena, Carolina Verena, Monique, Deanna, Maria Euhana, and Maria.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I think carea is something that definitely wanted to talk about.
I looked at your questions and the inspirations for this
talk and I had many different thoughts on my mind.
For example, when you say what inspired you to pursue
this career and how did it unfold? And I think
(02:35):
it was a very interesting journey. I thought back about
when I first thought about, Oh, what do I want
to study? What do I want to become? Where am
I heading to? And my dad was saying, oh, what
about a teacher? Oh this is great, And one of
the first things he said was you can combine it
(02:56):
so well with family. I'm like, you know, this was
like I graduated ninety nine, right, so it was still
some time ago, but even back then it made me
mad because I thought, why should I choose a career
that is very well combinable with family. I want to
choose what I like, and that's what I did, you know.
(03:18):
And it's not like that my family disagreed or that
they tried to make me choose a different path. And
I think it was the right path. Entering then the
world of consulting. Yes, I have thought about, oh, how
is this going to end? This is probably a super
interesting but also quite stressful job, and how long am
(03:39):
I going to be doing this? And by now I've
been doing this for seventeen years. It's crazy and it
has been an extremely interesting journey because, as I mean
the nature of consulting, you always have different projects, and
you you have always new customers and new clients. Sometimes
(04:00):
it's sad to see a client go, but sometimes you're
like gosh, good thing, this is over, off the.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
New world onto the next thing.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yes, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Luckily I never got pushed back at all, so I
always got support in the ways I wanted to choose,
which I think I maybe I'm very lucky for I
was like from my family and from all the sides.
So for me, since I'm young, it was quite clear
that I want to go somewhere into science or engineering,
so something kind of technical. Already doing school, I was
(04:35):
more like the mathematics and physics girl, and not maybe
that much like the language girl. So that part was
always kind of in front of me. And yeah, luckily
my parents they supported it, so they never tried me
to push me into any other direction. They both also scientists,
so maybe that also helped. Probably in general, I also
(04:56):
agree with Christina, it's important that we go the part
we want to go, not thinking about can we do
that as a woman? Can we and one day combine
it with a family, I think when we're just going
it and we figured it out at the end, that's
the way how we make the change at the end,
not trying to avoid these maybe complicated ways, but just
(05:19):
do what we like to do.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
It was pretty much fifty fifty. I didn't know anything
over there. Once I came back to Chile, I had
to rethink what I wanted to do. It was the
first time because I finished the university, I moved there,
I kept studying, and then I moved to here. And
when you were asking me, what made you think about
(05:41):
like chain, I think it was one class that I
had in the university that I was so cool, so interesting,
and it was about all the logistics, and I said, okay,
I'm going to go through that feel I think. And
on the other hand, I really loved consultancy because, like
everybody else would tell you, it's so cool to have
(06:02):
different projects all the time and you're working with different
people permanently, and also you were constantly learning so many things.
Speaker 6 (06:13):
How I came to logistics and especially also consulting, there
was not one defining moment that made me choose this industry.
It was more that during my studies I had the
impression that with working as a consultant, you become really
good in what you're doing, and I wanted to become good.
(06:35):
So consulting was the first direction for me after my
master's degree and logistics. Why did I choose logistics. I
really like boxes. I like boxes like where you can
put I don't know where you can put just your
private things in and organize your home. So that was
(06:55):
one big part. But also I always associated logistics with organing,
which I am good at, and that drove me to
that direction. But of course, and now my work is
including much more than organizing. It's planning, analyzing, explaining everything.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's everything you love, just in a bigger scale.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah, for some the path to supply chain was clear
from the start, while for others, like myself, found their
way here unexpectedly. But regardless of how they arrived, their
journeys share a common thread, the drive to tackle complex
challenges and make an impact. Of course, working in this
field as a woman often comes with unique obstacles. Let's
(07:42):
hear about some of the challenges these professionals have faced
and how they've navigated them.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah. I was thinking about the obstacles like and I
remember to you, but I'm not completely sure if it
was because I was a femail or because I was
too young.
Speaker 7 (08:01):
Okay, because you know that this is the only place
that your gray hair is very valuable in different other jobs,
they said, you're too old for this and they want
to dismiss you. But here all your clients really value
(08:21):
that all the experience that you have, so that could
be a difference.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But I remember in my very first project, it was
a team of female but the manager I was working with,
she has a lot of experience, and this client, I
was absolutely invisible for him, and I hated it. I
will go to with her to the office of and
he will not say hello, he will not look at me.
(08:47):
I was nobody and it was so painful for me.
I felt horrible all the time. But I think it
was because I was too young.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
I just wanted to say something. The biggest challenge that
I had in my entire career in the industry was
not even from men. It was from women.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
Oh.
Speaker 8 (09:10):
As a woman, my challenges came from women.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
My biggest challenges in a good way or in a
bad way.
Speaker 8 (09:19):
No, in a bad way, oh now in bad situation.
Bad challenges that came from women, not even men.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
Ah.
Speaker 8 (09:29):
And exactly so, we are not a lot in the industry,
especially in leadership roles and leadiership seeks. But when we
are please, we need to be more. How do we
say so?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, solidarity. We need to have more solidarity.
Speaker 8 (09:46):
Yeah, solidarity.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (09:48):
Something I don't want to know is that historically there
have been very specific general rules. Right maybe women stay behind,
they don't work, they take care of the children, they
take care of the house. I think nowadays those gender
roles are traditionally still there, but a lot of people
choose not to follow them, and that's okay. We as
(10:09):
a society altogether, especially in North America, we're accepting that
you can choose whatever path you want to choose as
a person, not just as a woman or as a man,
As a person, you can choose whatever path, and that
is really great because then that allows you to make
the choices that you're talking about, Helen. So if you're
talking about children or time dedicated to do XYZ. See
(10:31):
how I'm very vague in my examples because I dont
want to select for somebody else. But if I want
to select my time to be dedicated to something else,
then I am happy to make that choice. And then
I make it a choice as a person, not society
defining it for me or my job not allowing me
to make those choices.
Speaker 10 (10:52):
Absolutely, as you can imagine, I've been in this industry
for twenty eight years or something like that, so it's
been a while. And in my experience, I've had everything.
I've had great experiences, I've had really awkward experiences, and
I've had difficult experiences. I mean all of them from
(11:14):
having to kind of make yourself colder or have an
appearance that did not invite for anything. But also I've
had great experiences. I've had a couple of mentors in
my life that have been really good, both men and women,
and I think those need to be spoken about. And
I've also had leaders that were not so good that
(11:35):
I had to confront. Also, one of the things that
I didn't like for quite some time is that because
I decided not to be a mom, that they used
me as an example with the younger ones. Because I
felt that was not right. I felt that it's a choice.
It shouldn't be that because you are available all the time,
then this will use you with the younger ones to
(11:57):
also be available all the time. Men take away their choice,
which you know, I don't find it to be correct.
And I also have to hear many comments saying that
prety much if you become a mom, you're not able
to work in this world, well, in this business rather
in this sector anymore. Also that I had to confront
(12:19):
those type of situations quite often and fight for them
and say, hey, that's not right. We cannot do it
with your mentality. But it's definitely something that can be done,
and we have to encourage them to do it. So
the good thing is that with new at least in Spain,
with a new leave of absence laws for men, that
(12:39):
has changed quite a bit. That has helped a lot
because they get the same amount of time off men
and women, so that way is much more difficult to
discriminate when that happens.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
From being underestimated to being the only woman in the room.
These challenges are all too common, but progress is happening.
More women are steps into leadership, advocating for inclusivity and
pushing for real change. But how does this change happen?
It starts with awareness and action. Organizations need a foster
environment where everyone, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to succeed.
(13:15):
So what have our guests seen in terms of progress?
Speaker 9 (13:19):
If I want to select my time to be dedicated
to something else, then I am happy to make that choice,
and then I make it a choice as a person,
not society defining it for me, or my job not
allowing me to make those choices. If we're talking about barriers,
because I was saying I don't really think there are
necessarily barriers in itself, is just choices. But if there
(13:42):
was a barrier, I would select, would be the expectation.
There are so many because of these traditional gender roles allocation.
You said, you imagine a truck driver, you imagine a male,
maybe you think about a nurse, and you think about
a woman, right, that would be the stereotype that I
would try to break. A profession is a profession, A job.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Is a job like that.
Speaker 11 (14:04):
In the past, we had these mindset in which only
men worked hard and women had other goals in life,
and I see this it's changing fortunately, also very much
with the new generations, and everything's just fine. You know,
there are men that have also other goals in life
(14:25):
and women who also like to work hard. So I'm
very happy to see how the new generations are bringing
these topics to our agendas, to our discussions. And I'd
say it's not a linear way of approaching it. It's
just considering that there are different goals in life. Or
opinions or life situations which it's not only related to gender.
(14:51):
I still see those barriers when I speak to women
in consulting. There still exists these difference between women in consulting,
especially as an engineer or in supply chain in logistics
in which it's mostly men industry. Still, I'm very happy
to see that there are every time more and more
(15:12):
women in this field, but I know there still exists barrier,
and I feel it's very important from our leaders and
our leadership to empower these women in consulting in front
of our clients, our audiences, our publics, our external publics,
to give these women the power to lead their projects,
(15:35):
their clients, to manage different situations, and not to have
it limited to men, which usually happened in the past.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
I slowly see more women being present in the logistics
and management positions, and I also see more campaigns with
the focus on supporting women, not only in BIBA, but
also in other companies with let's say, an engineering focus.
Doesn't need to be only logistics, but with this more
technical engineering focus, and I think this increases in general
(16:09):
the visibility of women in logistics and engineering, which I
think is very important because I think it's not only
to have women in this engineering or technical topics. I
think it's really to support in terms of having female
role models and mentors to look up. And I think, yeah,
(16:30):
with this development I see in the last years, I
think this is going in the right direction.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
We still need to have more representation, like in the
higher manager level. I think if we're using that part yet,
so we're working for that.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
I agree. I spoke with one of our other colleagues
this morning saying that for an organization that we do
focus a lot on continuous improvement, both for our clients
and internally. We are always looking to improve process as
is cut waste, streamline, but looking for improvement at every
step of growth. And that is one thing that we
(17:09):
do continue to look at is are we looking for
and are we teaching? Are we enabling? Are we training
our female members on what it requires in order to
take some of these leadership positions and some of these
more managerial roles. Are we giving the women the opportunity
(17:29):
to sit at that table as opposed to just saying, oh, no,
that's that's where the men play, and we don't we
look for ways to encourage the women in our organization
to reach and to expand their careers and their capabilities
beyond maybe what they thought they would do. I mean,
a consultant doesn't usually go into it saying I'm going
to be a shareholder of my consultancy in fifteen years,
(17:52):
that's my goal. Perhaps they do, but a lot of
times it's just following, as you said, following what you
enjoyed doing and where you felt that you wanted to
participate in your career and finding the places that really
felt best, whether it's that one supply chain class that
did it for you and brought you into the logistics area.
(18:13):
Just following that, oh, this is interesting and I want
to do this, or this is interesting and I want
to try that, and finding out where it leads you
without having any ceiling that you're going to come up
against to say this is as far as you get
to go.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
The landscape is shifting and companies like Mibach are playing
a role in making that happen. But as we move forward,
what else can we do to support women in supply
chain and logistics. Beyond individual career growth, real progress comes
from organizational change. Here's some advice for companies that truly
want to make a difference.
Speaker 9 (18:48):
Actually, I haven't gotten the certification yet, but I did
put the effort to study, and I could see and
even him he recognized as to while you've maybe six
months later I had a significant growth in those areas.
And then afterwards he was no longer my boss for
other different reasons. But at least that allowed me to
have an incredible growth in like six months, just simply
(19:11):
because I was very annoyed at the no.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Hell, hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Speaker 9 (19:19):
Yeah, something like that. But opportunity or not is like
it resulted in what I actually needed at the end
of the day, but not in a happy way. I
feel like there's so many other ways you could motivate
someone to learn, but it had a good result.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Exactly. He could have said yes, and you'd be like, oh, okay,
I guess I'm doing this, and it would have been
the same result, but with a different attitude behind it,
a different drive.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
Exactly.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
I still don't know, do you really have to work
harder because if you're a female or not, I'm not sure.
But once he discovered that I was doing a good all,
then he started treating me differently. And at some point
I moved from being nobody to Carolita, which was like
a very nice way to call me, and it was
(20:13):
how are you today. I was like, Wow, that's an
important step for me.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, that's an important step in everyone's career.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Yeah, absolutely, or or they have we have this other
client that every time we will go to his office again.
I was working with the same female manager and he
would say, oh, these little girls are coming here again,
and you will sound like is this right or is
it not correct? The way that you're treating us, And
(20:43):
then he will say, oh, everything that you are presenting
to us, I already know all this information. Now you're
not doing anything extra for us whatever. And once we
started developing the project, then we want his trust and
then he realized, Okay, these two girls are really doing
a good job. He kept using the little girls phrase
(21:08):
to bel but at least he changed the way he
treated us because he knew we were working really hard
to give him a good solution.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
What keeps me here today at Biberch and the Supply
Chain Consulting, it's the different projects and the goals we
are working for for our clients. Our projects often have
a very big impact on our clients' business and are
therefore very important for our clients, and this gives them
(21:42):
a high priority. They have a clear start, a clear
goal to work towards, and this I find really fulfilling
and rewarding to work for those kind of projects. And
of course what is the best for me because I'm
working in our engineer services. The best is really too
(22:02):
in a realization phase to see become life and become
reality what you've planned for months.
Speaker 8 (22:10):
And years before. That is really the best part for me.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Those moments of recognition when you realize your work matters,
your contributions are valued and you belong are what make
the challenges all worthwhile. But to create more of these
moments for future generations, we need to keep pushing for progress.
What barriers still exist and how can we break them?
Speaker 8 (22:34):
Yeah, so that will be the wage discrequency and that
will be also maybe something that Jenna also mentioned before.
So it was mainly male dominated the supply chain and
the logistic and I want to show that even being
feminine we can fully be part of this world. For example,
(22:54):
people picture a truck driver as a male, or at
least a female looks like a male. No, we can
still be semini even working in a world mainly dominated
by male So I don't want to sacrifice my humanity
for that.
Speaker 11 (23:14):
I would suggest all women to always speak up their opinions.
There are points of view to address. If they are
not feeling comfortable with a situation with a person with anything,
to speak it up. To also find those people in
which they can feel comfortable to address topics, to speak topics,
(23:35):
and I feel in my role as a human resources professional,
I also have this responsibility to be next to women
to also accompany them whenever they have a situation in
which we can work it out together. So yeah, my
advice would be to always speak up what they feel.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
We need to have more, at least a couple of
female in this right so you can see that there's
more and.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Are you applying for that or are you vuying for
that job?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
No.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
But on the other hand, I have to say that
all these flexibility models that we've been working for people development,
it's developing also in favor of females, and they're trying
to balance with their own families when you want to
have babies. I have two kids, and I never felt
left behind because I wanted to be a mother. So
(24:29):
it's being a nice place so far. So and I
hope other candidates can notice how great this this is,
that we have a nice company that takes care of
you and we are aware of this situation.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah, and I forget who I was speaking to. It
was one of the other interviews I did yesterday, and
she said that the balancing the better balance of parental
leave to include men has actually done more than doing
anything for the women, because then the men get to
experience that they see that parenthood is something that they
(25:07):
should be a part of their families. But not only that,
that they understand the sacrifices that people male or female
do make for their families in order to advance their
careers and put in the effort at work. And it's
not gender based, it's just work. Having a family is work,
(25:30):
and it requires parents, and it requires a workplace that
gives you that flexibility to be there for your kids
when they get sick or when they have a school play.
And it shouldn't just be the moms doing that. It
should absolutely be the father's being present in their children's lives.
(25:50):
And the more that we open that up to them
and have them into the traditional mom spaces. I think
the more mom spaces are going to open up in
various companies to enable the women to then achieve those
higher statuses within their organization because of that flexibility that
you were just mentioning.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
The road to equity isn't just about increasing representation. It's
about changing the structures that make it difficult for women
to rise from wage gaps to outdated expectations. There's still
work to be done, So what's the next step. Let's
hear from these women on the barriers they see and
what they believe needs to change to create a truly
inclusive industry.
Speaker 9 (26:33):
I don't want to say it was a turning point
in my career or so impactful, but when I think back,
it really has shaped the way my career goes into
them and basically I will still find your personal brand,
what defines you and what other people take away when
(26:55):
they meet with you. So I went ahead and I
did it, and I think the reason why it you
can imagine why it's not so impactful, but it shapes
my career. It's because it gives me this both levels
of curiosity of it started the curiosity of who I
am what do I want to leave behind with the
(27:18):
people I interact with? And that has always been very
important for me, and it also has a component of
self compassion as well. I am a certain way and
that's okay because that defines my branding and a lot
of people will find that useful if I use it
in an empowering way.
Speaker 8 (27:38):
The biggest piece of advice that I had in my
career was from a woman. So she used to be
one of my manager and mentor. When I used to
managers threepl on a daily basis, I used to do
lots of garbage hours, if I can say, and not
(28:01):
being very efficient and productive. And she was a very
strong and independent woman, and I was always like, how
are you able to manage your work day so efficiently
and so productively? And she told me, you need to
read the four Hour of Workship by Tom Perris, so
(28:22):
work smarter and work harder. And I think that was
the biggest piece of advice that she gave to me
because that kind of helped me, okay, prioritize things better,
and that helped me also go through my daily challenges
within the warehouse. So I think that was one of
(28:43):
the biggest piece of advice that she gave to me.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I like it.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
I think it's following what you're really interested in and
what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing. And
it doesn't matter what you feel, it is what the
industry it is. I think the most important thing is
that it makes you happy, because I think if people
are happy, they can do the best as they can
do and they can be the best. And the Yeah,
I think we all know that if we do something
(29:08):
what makes us happy, yeah, we can do best and
be best and also inspire others. So yeah, I would
tell this two young women. Don't hear about what others
say if you should or shouldn't do anything. Just yeah,
try to hear in your inner self with what you
really enjoy and where you feel. Just feel good and
thee oh, the rest we'll figure out for itself. When
(29:30):
I started working for me Bach, I never really thought
about if I can one day combine the job with
a family or not. For example, I just knew I
would like to do that now because when I started working,
I was I don't know, in my mid twenties, so
family was like far away. But then when I started
I saw the woman at me Berg being a consultant
(29:50):
for many years and having children, so I thought, oh,
that's so cool that it can work, even though I
never thought about it. So I also I never doubted
it or anything. It was just kind of not yeah
in my mind.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
The future of this industry depends on diverse voices, and
women are shaping it every day, but we can't do
it alone. Change happens when companies commit to inclusivity, when
allies amplify underrepresented voices, and when each of us encourages
the next generation to follow their passion. Thank you for listening.
Let's keep the conversation going. That brings us to the
(30:30):
end of this episode. Thank you so much to my
colleagues the ladies at meeboch for sharing their experiences and
insights with us today. If you have a suggestion for
a topic or would like to be a guest on
our show, we'd love to hear from you. You can
contact me at podcasts at meebok dot com at any time.
As always, thanks for listening to Speaking of supply Chain.
(30:52):
If you enjoyed our show, please rate and review us
on whatever podcast platform you prefer, Apple Podcasts, Google or Spotify,
and be sure to in next time.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Meeboch Consulting is one of the largest and most globally
recognized supply chain consulting, engineering, and advisory firms. For nearly
fifty years, we've helped clients achieve supply chain excellence and
sustainable competitive advantage across the entire spectrum of the supply
chain by delivering improvements and innovation strategically, tactically, and digitally.
(31:27):
To learn more of visit meeboch dot com. You've been
listening to Speaking of Supply Chain, a meboch podcast, keep
connected with us by subscribing to the show in your
favorite podcast player. If you like what you've heard, please
rate the show that helps us to keep delivering the
latest in supply chain information. Thanks for listening. Until next time.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.