Aussie logistics company spearheading number of women in leadership roles
- Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus
According to Mal Siriwardhane only two percent of the millions of people employed in the logistics industry globally are female.
“This is a shocking statistic and one that we are proudly turning around here at B dynamic Logistics,” Mal Siriwardhane said.
“Global statistics indicate that there are clearly troubling reasons why more women have not gained employment in this fast growing and dynamic sector. There is no doubt that due to the male dominated nature of the industry that women find the environment intimidating – making it challenging for them to enter the sector, let alone, feel accepted and valued.
“There is also a definite lack of awareness around what specific roles and opportunities are available to women in the sector.”
Mal Siriwardhane, is the Co-founder and Managing Director of ecommerce Supply Chain organisation B dynamic Logistics – an industry leader in assisting businesses to drive growth through online sales and fulfilment services. Boasting over 25 years of experience in project management, logistics and channel development globally, Siriwardhane understands logistics and ecommerce better than most.
“At B dynamic Logistics, nearly half of our workforce consists of women. We also have women in leadership and managerial roles and expect this number to keep rising,” Siriwardhane said.
“In fact, as far as I am aware, we have the highest number of women in our workforce percentage wise of any business in the logistics sector in Australia – and I am very proud of this. We are working hard to increase this number even further.”
Siriwardhane explains that many logistics roles are service and coordination oriented and require excellent scheduling, project management and communication skills.
B dynamic Logistics’ Customer Care and Inventory Lead, Jay Protacio agrees. Jay is one of B dynamic’s leading female managers.
“For years I have worked in other industries, mainly in customer service roles. Since joining B dynamic Logistics, it is like a new world has opened up for me,” Ms Protacio said.
“Logistics is a very fast paced environment which is completely customer driven. Everything we do is about delivering the best customer experience possible. In my role, it is my responsibility to manage inventory levels, ensuring that any adjustments and investigations involving inventory are processed and completed correctly.
“What I love about logistics is that there are so many opportunities for progression.
“I started in a customer service role with B dynamic Logistics and now I am a supervisor. The environment has challenged me and helped me to grow rapidly mentally and physically. I absolutely love it and am continually learning.
“From managing people to measuring performances, to learning systems and listening to the voices of customers, all of these experiences during two years with the business have truly helped me progress my career in logistics.”
According to Siriwardhane, unlike the old days, where much of the work was physical, these days, a lot of the work is supported by machines and technology.
“Women are ideal candidates for roles in the logistics sector. Our service relies on an eye for detail, having the tenacity to follow activities and projects through to fruition, being able to identify issues and develop a plan to solve them, and having the people skills to work with all involved to coordinate and implement solutions,” Siriwardhane said.
“Communication, managing multiple activities and tasks at once and being able to work with people across many different areas are key areas of responsibility.
“Maintaining relationships with clients and dealing with questions, issues and requests is also a big part of the industry.”
According to Siriwardhane, there is no room for egos, arrogance or inflexibility.
“Our business is fast, busy and involves many moving parts,” Siriwardhane added.
“We need people dedicated to getting things done and finding the best way to do them. Our women senior leaders exemplify the attitude, approach and mentality that we epitomise here at B dynamic Logistics and that is – the customer is always right, our team always does their best – and together we will find a way to solve things and make things happen.
“Our women leaders are thoughtful, considerate, organised and razor sharp at meeting their targets, hitting deadlines and keeping our clients happy.
“I strongly encourage more women to consider the logistics industry as a satisfying and interesting career. We offer great flexibility in terms of hours and days of work. Our women leaders can work around their children’s schooling and day care needs.
“Roles range from managing picking and packing to taking care of all customer enquiries to account management.”
