Two female-led organizations in the logistics sphere are calling on businesses, trade associations and individual professionals to sign a pledge to promote gender equality in the airfreight industry.
Change Horizon and Meantime Communications launched the Women in Aviation and Logistics Pledge to mobilize the industry to advocate for change and define concrete targets and an action plan to achieve gender equality in air cargo.
“Although the debate on improving gender balance in air cargo has been going on for many years now, there are still too few women in decision-making roles, speaking at, or even attending, industry events,” said Céline Hourcade, founder and managing director of Change Horizon.
“We have outstanding female professionals in this industry and their distinct expert voices must be elevated through gender parity.”
Hourcade founded Change Horizon in September 2019 to support aviation and logistics organizations with their development and transformation programs.
“We have been talking about this for far too long, it is time to take action,” said Emma Murray, founder and CEO of logistics industry public relations consultancy Meantime Communications.
“We want the pledge to kick-start a movement for change, which will benefit us all, transforming air cargo into the diverse industry it should already be, and encouraging and attracting the next generation of air cargo leaders.”
Raise awareness
The program aims to raise awareness of female air cargo professionals by celebrating and promoting their great achievements in the industry. It aims to improve the gender balance in senior management and leadership roles and will push for broader diversity and inclusion metrics across the industry.
It will include a public database of female speakers in aviation and logistics and establish forums at global, local, or company levels to share best practices and actionable advice among industry peers.
The program will also establish a knowledge centre with industry facts and figures to raise awareness on current gender gaps within air cargo, including the gender pay gap and other inequalities, and open public debates to challenge the status quo.
“At Change Horizon, sustainability and gender equality have been at the core of our values since the moment I started the company in September 2019,” said Hourcade.
“The benefits of having gender-balanced teams span far beyond making a company more competitive, innovative and profitable. A year in a global pandemic has proven that the air cargo industry needs to transform and there is no better time and more urgency to bring the voice of women to make this industry more resilient.”
All the companies, associations, and individuals who will sign the pledge or support the cause will be invited to join the program, which will kick off with an introductory session on March 23, 2021.
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