Women in Logistics: Building a more inclusive future with ALICE

An initiative driving transformation in the logistics sector through equity and innovation

The recent meeting of the Women in Logistics and Technology Working Group at ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe) marked more than just a technical meeting. It served as a collaborative space to reflect, build community, and define concrete actions to promote greater female participation across the logistics ecosystem.

During the session, participants shared experiences, proposals, and the challenges women continue to face in the sector. Discussions addressed key strategic themes, including digitalisation, artificial intelligence, underrepresentation in leadership and public events, and the importance of encouraging interest in STEM fields from an early age.

Why a Women in Logistics Network?

This working group was established with the clear objective of creating safe spaces for connection, visibility, and mutual support among women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Following a thorough review of previous sessions and the received feedback, the group has now identified priority focus areas to strengthen this network and support professional development opportunities for women in logistics.

A recurring theme was the difficulty many women encounter in gaining visibility and access to leadership roles. As several participants noted, women are often the only ones present in panels, committees, or projects, reinforcing a sense of exclusion and limiting the sector’s diversity of thought.

Digitalisation and AI: Opportunities and Risks

One key point of discussion was the impact of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) on logistics. While these technologies offer significant potential to modernise operations and lower barriers to entry, they also carry risks if underlying data or design teams reflect existing biases.

“AI is trained on human data, and if that data is biased, the decisions will be as well. Diversity must be embedded from the start,” one speaker explained.

This presents an opportunity to organise webinars, workshops, and forums to explore how emerging technologies can either foster or hinder inclusion in logistics.

Mentorship, Networks, and Safe Spaces

To strengthen the community and provide ongoing support, several concrete actions were proposed:

• Launch a mentorship programme pairing senior women leaders with younger professionals.
• Create dedicated communication channels to keep members connected between meetings.
• Identify and share common challenges faced by women across different logistics environments.
• Organise in-person meeting during key events like Transport Logistic Munich or the ALICE Logistics Innovation Summit.

These initiatives aim to build a trusted ecosystem that supports professional growth, boosts visibility, and encourages collaboration.

Promoting Visibility in Schools: Inspiring Future Talent

One of the most inspiring ideas raised was the inclusion of logistics and innovation topics in secondary schools. The objective is to challenge the perception that logistics is only about moving goods and instead present it as a strategic, innovative, and impactful field.

Participants proposed incorporating outreach activities into ALICE research and innovation projects, specifically targeting female students to encourage them to pursue STEM careers related to logistics.

What’s Next?

The group agreed to move forward with the following actions:

• Consolidate the network through regular virtual and physical meetings.
• Launch an initial mentoring initiative in the coming months.
• Develop a shared set of challenges to guide thematic discussions.
• Increase women’s participation in major industry events.
• Integrate gender focused outreach within ALICE’s R&I projects to foster STEM aspirations among young women.

Importantly, this network is not intended to be a closed structure, but an open and evolving space, one that welcomes new proposals and involvement from women and member organisations alike.

The meeting reaffirmed a strong commitment from professionals across the sector to build a more equitable, diverse, and innovative logistics industry. As one participant noted:

“This is not about ALICE building a programme for us. It’s about building it together.”

With this collaborative spirit, the Women in Logistics network is set to become a key initiative for reshaping the sector from within, connecting talent, experience, and ideas to create a more inclusive and sustainable supply chain.

Join the community: https://forms.office.com/e/evKkbDLAzU