Women world over have trumped expectations and thrived in every single field they have set foot in, driving quite a few discriminatory ideas into the ground. This women’s day, we bring you five of the most inspiring women leaders from the retail and logistics business spheres.
Nicole Reyhle
Nicole Reyhle is the founder of retailminded which supports independent retail businesses throughout the world. She has gained extensive retail experience working with famous retailers like Nordstrom, Adidas America, Sears Corporation and Franco Sarto Footwear.
A firm believer in helping small businesses, Reyhle’s firm provides services like news, education and support to them. She understands that small retailers cannot do it all on their own and helps them learn about newer resources and managing them, all the while keeping in mind their unique struggles and limited resources. Reyhle has published over a thousand articles regarding the retail industry and currently writes for various forums including IBM, Entrepreneur.com, Forbes and Fiverr. Speaking of the challenges that women face in the retail industry, Reyhle says,
“Although men do tend to be more prominent in some spaces versus others – such as retail logistics – I am optimistic that as retail evolves, so will the role that women have in influencing all the facets that impact it.”
Judy R. McReynolds
(Source: atri-online.org)
Ever heard of Arcbest? Yep, it’s one of the biggest logistics businesses in the world that is currently led by a very influential woman. Judy R. McReynolds is President and Chief Executive Officer of this multi million dollar company. Speaking of gender issues at work in an interview to Patricia R Olsen, she says,
“I told myself early on that I wasn’t going to make gender an issue in my career or allow other people to do so”.
McReynolds has worked at Arcbest for 18 years and has been serving as the CEO since 2010.
Ann Drake
(Source: awesomeleaders.org)
Ann Drake is the founder of the AWESOME network. Ring a bell? That actually expands to Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education. When Drake started the foundation in 2013, it was extremely low key. This foundation has now grown to over 900 senior level women executives in the supply chain business. The purpose of AWESOME is Advancing Women Supply Chain Leaders. It helps women across the supply chain industry connect with each other to form a powerful network of next generation leaders. Apart from this, Drake is also the CEO and Chairperson of DCS logistics, and the recipient of the 2015 Schultz Award for advancing women in transportation and logistics.
Kelli Saunders
(Source: bcctc.ca)
Kelli Saunders is President of Morai logistics, a company comprising of over 75% female employees. Saunders has revealed in an interview to Kate Lee that it happened not by design but by looking for the best. In the interview, she explains how important it is for women to recognize and utilize incredible opportunities in the supply chain industry.
“A big challenge is getting women and minorities to recognize that the supply chain industry is an option”.
Sanders began her career as a telemarketing supervisor and later went on to create DCS logistics. She was chosen as The Woman Exporter of the Year by OWIT in 2016. She loves inspiring other female entrepreneurs and supply chain executives by sharing her path to success.
Marion Blakey
(Source: wikipedia)
Now here’s a woman most of us have heard inspiring things about! Blakey made news with her acceptance of a job offer to lead Rolls Royce North America. This powerful woman has changed the face of every business she has set foot into, helping them earn multi billion dollar revenues. She is most famous for her stint as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aerospace Industries Association of America Inc. from 2007 to 2015.
We salute these inspiring women for paving the path that many more may follow. Wishing you all a happy Women’s Day!!!
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