Hi Laura, thanks for taking part in today's IWD, such a special day to celebrate women and their achievements. To start us off can you give me a short overview of what you do here at Slicker?
Thank you, it’s great to be taking part. I have worked at Slicker since 2015 when I started part-time in a logistics admin role. Since then, I have worked in planning for both workshops in Waste and Waste Oil, I then moved on to become Planning Manager, before being promoted into my current role as Transport and Resource Manager.
Wow, you have had a lot of diverse roles in your nine years at Slicker. So, this year’s IWD is all about understanding, valuing, and seeking out better inclusion of women. But what does inclusion mean to you as a professional?
Inclusion to me is about respecting and valuing everyone in our team and having your voice heard regardless of gender
Great and to-the-point answer. So generally what more do you think can be done to improve female inclusion in the workplace?
Traditionally many logistics professionals have been male, however, I feel this has really changed in recent years, with specific groups set up for women in logistics which is a great step forward.
Totally agree Laura, and how about at Slicker, what is done to ensure balance and female inclusion?
The women in Slicker are given excellent opportunities to progress, there are no barriers because of gender. In fact, we are sometimes in meetings where the men are in the minority. Being a female transport manager is thanks to the training and input I have been given at Slicker.
So can I ask what will you be doing to play your part this year in promoting female achievement, or pushing back against bias or discrimination?
I have instilled in my daughter that she can achieve anything and hope I am demonstrating this through my own example of hard work.
And finally on to the last question,…it wouldn’t be IWD without asking you which female has inspired you in the past 12 months?
That would be Sarina Wiegman manager of the Lionesses who led England to the World Cup final. She has a quiet but confident management style and leads by example, whilst acknowledging it is ok to make mistakes but to move on and learn from them.
For more on International Women’s Day 2024, you can visit the website through https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
