Jenny Hooper, Managing Director of Independent Freight Solutions, shares her thoughts to mark International Women’s Day 2025
Every year, I take the time to mark International Women’s Day, and this year will be no different.
In recent months, I’ve been engaging more with young professionals, learning from their perspectives and experiences.
It has been refreshing to see how much this demographic has to offer – whether it’s fresh thinking, up-to-date industry knowledge, or a different way of approaching challenges.
I’ve also noticed that younger professionals tend to be more proactive rather than reactive, using technology and AI to enhance efficiency and stay ahead and avoid playing catch-up.
Ensuring that the upcoming generation have leaders to learn from, particularly women, is so important. But on the same token, there is a lot that we, as more experienced professionals, can learn from them.
I continue to be inspired by younger women entering the industry. They are bold and decisive, and while they sometimes need guidance in fine-tuning their approach, they are reshaping the way we work.
It’s important that we bridge generational gaps rather than let them divide us. Instead of feeling threatened or resistant to change, we need to embrace reinvention, blending old-school experience with new-school innovation and people full of new ideas to keep ourselves and our businesses evolving.
Having spent much of my career in male-dominated industries, including builders’ merchants, plumbers’ merchants, and logistics, I know how difficult it can be for women to see opportunities in these fields. But it’s certainly changing.
While I’d say logistics is still male-dominated overall, there’s a misconception that it’s all about warehouse work, but in reality, it’s a sector built on problem-solving, management, and strategic thinking – areas where anyone with the right skills and attitude can excel.
At IFS, the majority of our leadership team is female. However, there is still work to be done to raise awareness of the types of careers you can have in the wider logistics industry.
This needs to be picked up at all ages, not just school leavers, but showcasing options for career changers with transferrable skills from other sectors.
Offering flexibility for working mothers and caregivers has helped attract and retain talented team members, ensuring they don’t have to choose between career progression and personal responsibilities.
But it’s still so important to have personal contact, with constant interaction in the workplace, from a development perspective – especially for people at the start of their careers.
For anyone starting out in business, my advice is simple: find a female mentor. Reach out to local women business owners, join professional groups, and surround yourself with supportive, driven women.
When I started, I knew I needed the insight of those who had been through it before, and that support network has made all the difference over the years.
Now I feel the tables are turning somewhat, and it’s the next generation who have a huge role to play in showing my generation the best way to progress.
This International Women’s Day, let’s not just celebrate women in business – let’s commit to mentorship and collaboration, creating opportunities for the next generation, but also learning from them as we move forward together.
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