International Women's Day: Equal opportunities at a. hartrodt
Three female executives from Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Hong Kong are role models.
Gender equality is a top priority at a. hartrodt all year round, and not just on International Women's Day on March 8. Female, in her early 30s, General Manager – this is a reality in the family business: Amaya Teniente has been doing this job for a year in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lorena Figaro in Barcelona (Spain) since 2018. "a.hartrodt is giving opportunities to young talents and also reinforcing women in leadership positions, which is still very rare especially in this conservative industry," says Teniente. Figaro has been working at a. hartrodt for almost 15 years and finds that equal opportunities have always been promoted there – "also when this topic was not yet so in vogue".
Hesitant older men
In Italy, Figaro did an apprenticeship in the logistics sector after graduating from high school. As a young Sales Executive, she invited logistics managers from important Italian food & beverage companies to meetings, "mainly men and older than me". Several times, she got the impression that the managers were hesitant to take her seriously. "Finally, however, I forged a very good business relationship with many of them," she notes.
Inspiring female mentors
In their own company, Teniente and Figaro did not have to overcome any prejudices – on the contrary: "a. hartrodt believes in capacity and skills, no matter the gender," says Figaro. And Daniela Gracia, Regional Sales Manager Greater China in Hong Kong, says "great female mentors" at a. hartrodt have inspired her: "Empowered women empower women". Like Teniente, she is Spanish, also with a degree in business administration and a Master in international business management. As a recent mom in the Covid-19 scenario, thanks to her employer's support and flexibility, she can "work safely from home" while also attending to her family needs.
With their "passion for work", Teniente, Figaro and Gracia are role models for young female freight forwarders. On International Women's Day, they celebrate with colleagues worldwide women's achievements in logistics: #ChooseToChallenge.