Marking today’s International Women’s Day 2021, Change Horizon and Meantime Communications launch the Women in Aviation and Logistics Pledge to advance gender balance in air cargo.
In an announcement timed to mark today’s International Women’s Day 2021, freight organisations Change Horizon and Meantime Communications are calling on businesses, trade associations and individual professionals to sign the Women in Aviation and Logistics Pledge to promote gender equality in the airfreight industry.
They said the Pledge “will serve as a vehicle to mobilise the industry to advocate for change and define concrete targets and an action plan to achieve gender equality in air cargo”, marking “the beginning of a movement for change for the air freight community”.
Former IATA and TIACA executive Céline Hourcade, founder and managing director of Change Horizon, commented: “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. We have outstanding female professionals in this industry and their distinct expert voices must be elevated through gender parity.”
Emma Murray, founder and CEO of Meantime Communications, commented: “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.”
All the companies, associations, and individuals who will sign the pledge or support the cause will be invited to join the programme, which will kick off with an introductory session at the end of March 2021.
The programme’s objectives include:
Increasing gender balance in senior management and leadership roles;
Pushing for progress in broader diversity and inclusion metrics across the industry;
Establishing 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;
Raising awareness of women air cargo professionals by celebrating and promoting their great achievements in the industry;
Setting-up forums at global, local, or company levels to share best practices and actionable advice among industry peers;
Launching a public database of female speakers in aviation and logistics;
Hourcade added: “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.”
Murray added: “I believe we all have a duty of care to this industry, which has given me so many opportunities, and to the young talent ready to join, to make it the best it can be. “There is no excuse for standing by; we can achieve this by working together.”
Source: Lloyd’s
