RIFKA ZIYARD :
COLOMBO : Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT) Sri Lanka is the Women’s Forum of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Sri Lanka. Globally, WiLAT is established in 29 countries. The WiLAT vision is to be the most sought after for advocacy, professionalism, and empowerment of women in supply chain, Logistics and Transport. The mission is to promote the status of women in Logistics and Transport, to bring together those who support talent and career development of women and to provide a support network and mentoring opportunities for women in the industry. WiLAT in Sri Lanka celebrated its 8th year anniversary recently.
Colombo Times spoke to Ms. Gayathri Karunanayake (Gayathri) on her role as WiLAT Chairperson. Gayathri says, “I was elected as WiLAT Chairperson Sri Lanka in year 2019. My role is to give the leadership to WiLAT, to motivate the team to drive towards achieving WiLAT’s vision and mission. The entire executive committee includes 24 ladies who are passionate to share their knowledge and dedicate their time on a voluntary basis to add value to the society and encourage young persons to enter and thrive in this industry. Throughout my journey in WiLAT, I was able to promote, share knowledge and experience, emphasizing on the WiLAT four strategic thrusts: Leadership, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Mentorship”.
Gayathri Karunanayake is the youngest Vice chairperson for South Asia of WiLAT Global and Chairperson of the of WiLAT in Sri Lanka. She was appointed as their first treasurer in September 2013 and Vice Chairperson in year 2018. She is a Chartered member in Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). She holds a BSC from University of Bangalore and a MBA from University of Colombo. She also holds an Advance Diploma in Logistic Management from National Institute of Business Management. Gayathri has 17+ years’ experience in Supply chain and logistics. She was leading Logistics function in Unilever Sri Lanka LTD responsible for End-to-End Logistics function. She is also a process champion in ERP implementations and process development in Logistics Operations. She was leading customer service function in Distributive trade in Unilever Sri Lanka in the year 2018 and specialized in Retail and Distribution. Gayathri is former head of 3PL and Contract Warehousing in Spectra Logistics (PVT ) LTD. Currently she serves as a Supply Chain Consultant in Logicare ( Pvt) LTD.
On ‘Ignite”, the WiLAT signature mentoring programme, Gayathri explains “7 years ago, we initiated a programme called ‘Ignite’, where professionals from both CILT and WiLAT came together as Mentors. ‘Ignite’ focuses on providing the much-needed guidance for graduates, apprentices/trainees according to their career paths, interests and motivate them to take up professional roles in the industry. WiLAT via ‘ignite’ has taken the responsibility to mentor these young aspiring individuals irrespective of gender”.
She further elaborates, “We have a pool of almost 150 mentors who are passionate to guide the younger generation to take up roles in this industry. This year, 30 mentors are actively engaged in mentoring where 2 to 3 mentees are assigned to each mentor which allows it to be a productive programme. The ‘ignite’ programme has received global WiLAT recognition as well and there are other countries also rolling out similar programmes”.
In addition to Mentorship, WiLAT focuses on cultivating people’s attitude towards entrepreneurship, leadership, empowerment. The latest thrust introduced is sustainability. Hence WiLAT’s actions revolve around these key thrusts.
Gayathri adds “Women representation in the logistics industry is approx 4% in Sri Lanka but globally its closer to 20%. Our Objective is to promote and advocate women professionals to the industry. The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT) Promotes, Encourages and Co-ordinates the Study of the Science and Art of Logistics and Transport. CILT continuously works towards creating pathways for professionals to drive the industry. Today, there are many universities foreign & local that provide supply chain logistics degrees. Hence one can have a professional qualification which would help to take steps forward in the career ladder. Supply chain & logistics is a core of any organization hence there is so much of opportunities”.
On the perception that Logistics and Transport is a male dominated industry we invited Gayathri to share her views on why she chose this field, “It was a coincidence that I got into a logistic role at the start of my career. I am genetic engineer so I never thought that I will be pursuing supply chain & logistics. In my initial stage of the career, where I was a management trainee, there was no one proper to run the logistics department in the organization. So, I took it upon myself to do so knowing that logistics/supply chain is the backbone of any organization and I thought it was incredibly challenging to start from this area. For almost 3 years I was learning logistics while applying it on the job. It was a wonderful foundation since it gave me the opportunity to learn the roots”, she explains.
Gayathri reminiscing her career path says, “At first, even my parents didn’t approve since the industry is known to be a male dominated area. Being in logistics is a tough job since there is a lot of heavy work involved and naturally there are more men in this industry. I also feel being a women, there are certain inherent traits such as care, empathy, communication skills that allow women to shine in these industries. I feel that being a sports person helped me a lot. Since from school days I used to play team games and was a hockey player & an athlete hence for me working in teams was fine. It does not matter whether the team is men or women. So I found it easier to blend in and work with a team irrespective of gender and I feel I owe it to my sports back ground”.
Gayathri added, “I was in logistics for past 17 years – the entire team was men. Of course, it is challenging but I was respected and I continue to showcase that I am good at what I do. I never commanded any special treatment because I am a woman. I did voice my thoughts and made sure my voice is heard which led me to all my achievements”.
In Gayathri’s view women should make their voices heard then they can accomplish in any industry. She adds, “WiLAT believes in encouraging professional women to make their voices heard and enable them to stand out in a crowd. There are many professional ladies now leading organizations in logistics and supply which is encouraging and WiLAT will continue to pave the way for many others too to reach the pinnacle”.
Logistics and Transport is an ever-evolving industry. During the pandemic, globally this industry experienced changes in the form of digital transformation, changing customer expectations, new business model formulations etc. As chair of WiLAT Colombo Times invited Gayathri’s views on the Logistics and Transport industry in Sri Lanka.
She explains “Sri Lanka is a country that is strategically located with unique access to the entire world. It has all potential to be the Maritime hub that we all aspire to be but there is a lot more that needs to be done. We must move away from the conventional thinking and transform digitally to ensure that we make avail of opportunities. Areas such as supply chain, process development should be transformed digitally by using feasible methods to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. Our ports, warehouses are still conventional, we must transform digitally so that we can cater to demands efficiently. Do you know how many opportunities avoid coming to Sri Lanka because we don’t have the facility or technology to cater to these opportunities? Of course, technological advancements do require adequate investments, but I think we should at least start the transformation even in a small capacity. There is no requirement for a double leap, lets do one leap at a time and we will eventually get closer to that ideal position”.
She further added “Change management is also key. We have to move forward by embracing transformation via technology and adapt different ways of working , then we can make Sri Lanka a shining hub. We have the potential, and we have very senior professionals who can drive the industry. The potential is immense. We just need application right now”.
There are challenges women face in this industry similar to any other field. Gayathri says, “when I talk to young ladies what I understand is that they feel it is a hectic role and they may not be able to achieve work life balance. It is this conventional thinking that stops a person from entering this field. I am a mother too and I still enjoy working day in and day out in this 24*7 industry. One needs to be thorough in delegation, you need to train your second in command to step in and take the reins if the need arises. There are many challenges for women since we play multiple roles. Organization should also be supportive to women who are balancing many roles”.
Gayathri explains how WiLAT supports female professionals to overcome barriers, “WiLAT as an organization enlightens people on the needs and demands of the industry and advices on overcoming such barriers. We create forums with industry leaders who share their experiences which allows the women to look at a problem from different perspectives. Even via the WiLAT mentoring programmes we obtain business leaders to shed light on ‘empowerment’, ‘trust’ and many other traits that allows women in this industry to overcome barriers”.
She further added, “As a woman to be successful in the multiple roles we play it’s important that we have support systems. My husband is incredibly supportive and he beyond doubt plays a major role in my achievements. A woman should ensure that one has its support systems trained at home and also ensure that your team in your workplace is trained well so that they can step in and take responsibilities when needed. One cannot be in multiple places at the same time, but one can still manage work by planning and ensuring your team is trained well”.
“There are certain skills and traits which are very important in this field” , says Gayathri in discussing her advice for young professionals who wish to make a career in supply chain and logistics.
She elaborates, “A person should have good communication skills. For one to communicate well, one should be a good listener. It is vital to inculcate the practice of effective communication. Also, a person should bring solutions to the table. Think and come up with a positive idea on how to resolve the issue even a simple solution is fine but always make an effort to bring solutions to the table. Learn your basics in the field, get ready to get your hands dirty when building your foundation, since the hands-on experience at the foundation will help you to build a solid career as you reach the top. Understanding the depth of the industry is vital and one must have an appetite for learning. Take courage to ask questions so that you can learn There are so many avenues to learn today. At a tap of a button, you can read and learn about many aspects happening in the other side of the world one must indulge in reading and build deep understanding of the industry”.
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Interviewed and compiled by Rifka Ziyard. Rifka is the Director – Tax & Regulatory at KPMG. She is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Fellow member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Taxation, and holds a MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Colombo.
