Exceptional women in the transport & logistics industry have been recognised at the 2026 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards, in association with DSV and Amazon Relay. The prestigious London ceremony, attended by industry professionals, marked the 19th year of this landmark programme that celebrates the women transforming the sector through their leadership and innovation.
The awards aim to inspire the next generation of female talent to pursue careers in the industry by spotlighting the career opportunities at every stage, from apprenticeships to C-Suite. The industry is critically important to the UK, generating around £192.9 billion for the economy[4].
Despite this, progress still needs to be made to close the gender gap, as women account for only 27%[1] of the 2.5 million-strong transport workforce[2] and 20% of the two million people working in logistics and warehousing[3].
Nicole Goodwin and Sophie Catto, Joint Managing Directors of AllBright everywoman, said: “There is exceptional female talent in the transport and logistics sector, and we are proud to recognise the women who are leading huge transformations in their businesses and inspiring the next generation to follow. This year’s winners are excelling in their careers while actively changing the culture of an industry that is critical to the UK economy. With women still accounting for just 27% of the transport workforce and 20% of those working in logistics and warehousing, there is more work to do but we know that the finalists and winners of this programme will continue to lead the way in closing that gap and showing the world what women in the sector can achieve.”
The everywoman Woman of the Year Award went to Lisa Hall, Owner, Diamond Transport Audits and Compliance, from Alfreton. Lisa has lived and breathed everything transport from a young age, as her parents ran a haulage and distribution company in the 1970s. She could even recognise the lorries pulling into the yard by the sound of their engines. As an entrepreneur, she plays a leading role in making the transport industry more compliant, while championing and supporting more than 1,100 women through the only female transport manager network group in the country.
Starting out as a self-employed consultant in 2001 with a single client, Lisa has built Diamond Transport Audits and Compliance into a nationally-recognised business, becoming a trusted expert supporting companies through Public Inquiries before the Traffic Commissioner and carrying out audits on behalf of that office. Rather than treating compliance as a tick-box exercise, she teaches operators why it matters, leaving them more informed and better equipped to run their own businesses.
Alongside her consultancy work, Lisa created the UK’s first female transport manager support and network group, which now has more than 1,100 members. As one member puts it: “Lisa created something we didn’t even realise we needed – a safe, supportive space for us to connect, ask questions and grow.” Another member describes how, before joining the group, she felt completely alone, but has since built a network of women who understand the challenges she faces, helping her make better decisions and add value to the businesses she supports. Through weekly calls, events and a judgement-free forum, Lisa has supported over 270 women on their journey into the industry and into leadership roles, and in 2025 was recognised with the Women in Motor Transport Mentor of the Year Award. Many of those she has supported now go on to guide others themselves, extending her impact well beyond her direct involvement.
Adam Jones, Senior Commercial Director, UK Contract Logistics at DSV, said: “The transport and logistics sector continues to evolve, and it is encouraging to see more women stepping into influential roles, driving innovation, challenging traditional barriers, and helping to shape the future of our industry. At DSV, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where women can develop, progress and thrive throughout their careers. While we have made positive strides as an industry, there is still more to do to ensure that talented women have the opportunities, support, and visibility they deserve. Celebrating the success of these outstanding women is an important part of that journey. I wish all finalists the very best of luck and thank them for the positive impact they continue to make on our business, our industry and the communities we serve.”
Vignesh Solairaj, Director, Supply Chain at Amazon Relay, said: “At Amazon, we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to building the resilient supply chains of tomorrow. The women recognised at this year’s awards are not only excelling in their own careers but are paving the way for others to follow. We are proud to support the everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards because programs like these shine a light on the incredible talent that exists across our industry and help inspire the next generation of female leaders to join and shape the future of logistics.”
THE 2026 WINNERS ARE:
The Entrepreneur Award – sponsored by Amazon Relay
- Jodie McDonald, Founder, Fetchmycaruk, from Liverpool.
After experiencing the challenges of needing safe, reliable transport, Jodie launched a professional driver-for-hire service, Fetchmycaruk, to allow people to be driven safely in their own vehicles, whether after a night out, for medical appointments, or for people with disabilities who prefer the comfort of familiar surroundings. Beyond her business achievements, she serves on the Liverpool City Council panel for Women in Equality, mentoring aspiring female entrepreneurs and promoting representation in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
The Customer/Passenger Award – sponsored by Go-Ahead
Above & Beyond:
- Yara Zoghaib, Senior Product Manager, RCM Economic Model, Amazon, from Luxembourg
Yara joined Amazon as a financial analyst in 2021 and has since become the driving force behind some of the most significant pricing innovations in its carrier marketplace. When rates plummeted and carriers began walking away, she built a data-driven floor pricing model from scratch that reversed the decline, delivering a surge in active carriers and securing 99% product acceptance rates during Amazon’s most critical peak periods. Her payout calculator tool, launched at Amazon’s first Fast Forward Contracts Summit, helped to bring significant numbers of new carriers onto the platform. Outside her day job, she has completed Amazon’s Women’s Leadership Programme and makes a point of mentoring female interns navigating their way in the industry.
Leader:
- Sheri Hickmott , Deputy Manager Operations, FedEx, from Kent
Sheri’s FedEx journey began when she was 17 and began working as a warehouse handler while studying at college, and never left. Now Operations Manager at the company’s Aylesford station, she has worked her way through almost every frontline role across multiple sites, building an exceptional understanding of the end-to-end operation along the way. She leads a complex operation responsible for delivering and collecting thousands of packages daily and is known for setting clear expectations and creating teams where people feel supported and empowered to progress. A mother of four children under ten, she openly demonstrates that it is possible to lead a demanding operational role and progress in your career while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, challenging outdated perceptions of leadership and inspiring other women to believe they can succeed without compromising their personal values.
The Infrastructure Award
Above & Beyond:
- Carly Cowell, Head of Europe Construction Quality, Amazon, from London
Carly joined Amazon as a graduate associate in 2003 and has risen over 22 years to lead the Building Infrastructure Quality programme for International Stores. In that role, she has delivered significant improvements in building quality standards across the global logistics network. Beyond her operational achievements, she has mentored over a dozen women across the UK, EU and North America, supporting their career progression and leadership confidence. Outside of work, she serves as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Royal Logistics Corps and is one of only a handful of female drivers in the Armed Forces Karting Championship.
Leader:
- Emma Kolahi, Senior HR Business Partner Wales, Royal Mail, from Cheshire
Emma’s Royal Mail career started 13 years ago as a part-time postie on a temporary contract, having previously worked as a primary school teacher, and has risen to become Senior HR Business Partner overseeing more than 7,000 operational employees across Wales and the Marches. Her region became the first in the UK to pilot Royal Mail’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Programme and suicide awareness workshops in partnership with national charity Baton of Hope – initiatives that have since shaped policy across the organisation. She launched a Women in Operations Development Programme after listening to female colleagues about barriers to progression, resulting in promotions within and beyond Royal Mail. Away from work, she founded the Neonatal Parent Group at the Countess of Chester Hospital and sits on the NHS Parent Advisory Group for the North West, shaping the design of future neonatal units.
The Supply Chain Award
Above & Beyond
- Silvia Villalobos Tellez, Manager, Fleet Products, Amazon, from Madrid
With over a decade of experience at global logistics giants FedEx and Amazon, Silvia has built a reputation for creating strategies that deliver lasting impact. At Amazon, she led a transformational year for its managed transport programme that delivered tens of millions of dollars in savings and is now regarded internally as a global success story. Returning from maternity leave in 2024, she was immediately entrusted with a new role and scope in Madrid, delivering a robust strategic plan within two months while managing a nine-figure budget, demonstrating that career progression and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. Through her role as a faculty member in Amazon’s Women Leadership Programme and co-founder of Liderando en Femenino, an editorial initiative sharing the stories of female leaders, she is committed to lifting others.
Leader
- Katherine Skidmore, Executive Director of Operational Excellence & Programme Management, Unipart, from Lichfield, Staffordshire
Katherine has risen over 17 years at Unipart from team leader to Executive Director of Operational Excellence and Programme Management, overseeing major project activity across the supply chain specialist. Her track record includes turning around a loss-making technology sector account to profitability within four months and dramatically improving its service levels in the process. A passionate advocate for women in logistics, her mentorship has directly supported several women into senior roles at Unipart, including one who started as an apprentice and now heads up digital innovation and another who joined as agency staff and now leads production control for a major automotive client. She is consistently at the forefront of Unipart’s celebration of key awareness days, such as International Women’s Day, providing inspiration and insight.
The Warehousing Award – sponsored by B&M
Above & Beyond
- Hayley Nicholson, Head of Operations SU, GXO, from Northampton
Hayley began her logistics career as a business administration apprentice in 1999 and has risen over 27 years to become Head of Operations at GXO’s Sherburn site, one of the company’s largest UK operations. Since stepping into the role in 2024, she has led 13 new customer start-ups in rapid succession, including relaunching a major ecommerce client’s online sales channel in just five weeks. She has also driven a 96% employee engagement score across the site, directly supported two women into senior management promotions through one-to-one mentoring, and helped raise more than £50,000 for Martin House Children’s Hospice over the past three years. She is a leader who builds high-performing teams, transforms customer operations, and champions a culture where everyone, particularly women, can thrive
Leader
- Brenda Sunley, Managing Director, Storage & Fulfilment Services Ltd, from Fradley, Lichfield, Staffordshire
Brenda was appointed Managing Director of SFS, a family-owned 3PL warehousing specialist, in January 2025, and has helped to grow the business from start-up to a multi-million-pound operation employing 30 people across four warehouses. Her tenure has included leading a team of 65 to produce one million NHS face visors per week during the pandemic, described by the customer as world-class, and she has shown remarkable personal resilience, returning to the helm after breaking her neck in a horse riding accident in 2019. She has since built a three-strong female management team that now runs the business day-to-day.
The Industry Champion Award
- Jennifer Swain, Director of Talent, Development and HR, Road to Logistics, from Liverpool
Jennifer is dedicated to helping people who face barriers to employment find careers in logistics. As a Director at Road to Logistics, a not-for-profit providing fully-funded HGV and warehousing training, she has helped deliver 580 graduates in five years, of whom 87% are now working in the sector, and helping to tackle the talent shortage in the industry. Before joining, she spent four years as Head of Talent at Clipper Logistics, growing the workforce from 3,000 to 9,000 and introducing more than 1,000 hires through a programme designed to open logistics roles to people previously locked out of the industry. Much of this was focused on introducing more flexible working and school-hour-friendly shift patterns. A founder member of Women in Logistics, she has helped drive female HGV graduates at Road to Logistics to 20%, against a national average of just 2% female truck drivers.
Male Agent of Change – sponsored by Asda
- Martin Wannell, Assistant General Manager, Wincanton/GXO, from Chippenham
Martin has used his senior leadership position to drive measurable change in gender representation in the transport and logistics sector. By challenging the language used in job adverts, interviews and offers, he achieved a 15% increase in women in roles across both the operational workforce and management. When his team presented what was described as the best Quarterly Business Review in a nine-year client partnership, the leadership team doing so was a 50/50 gender split. He has directly mentored multiple women into leadership roles, including supporting a transport manager with 18 years’ experience who had been overlooked for formal recognition to complete her CPC qualification, unlocking her career progression. A father of three daughters, Martin openly shares his learning and experiences to create workplaces where colleagues feel safe to speak up.
Apprentice Award
- Kenesha Francis, Mentor, Go-Ahead London, from Beckenham, London
Kenesha dreamed of becoming a bus driver from the age of 17, but spent years working in retail management and security to provide financial stability for her family before finally pursuing her ambition. Joining Go-Ahead London as an apprentice, she was the only person in her cohort to gain her PCV licence and became the first female apprentice accepted onto the company’s competitive pre-promotion course. She went on to win the Apprentice Outstanding Customer Service Award and was appointed to help create the company’s first female-led mentor team, supporting new drivers across all 11 routes at Croydon garage. She actively supports recruitment events and women-only cohorts, sharing her story to show that women, mothers and grandmothers can thrive and lead in transport.
The Tech and AI Innovator – sponsored by Amazon
- Lisa Johnson, Vice President, Global Public Affairs, Starship Technologies, from Leeds
Lisa is Global Vice President for Public Affairs at Starship Technologies, the world leader in autonomous delivery robots, where she has played an instrumental role in taking the company from start-up to scale-up. Lisa spent a decade in the trade union movement before making a career change at 40 and now leads go-to-market strategy, global regulatory development and social acceptance campaigns for a fleet of 3,000 robots that has made over ten million deliveries across eight nations. Her work has opened major new markets, including unlocking Germany as a scalable commercial market and helping change the law in Finland, where 800 robots now deliver as far north as the Arctic Circle. She has built accessibility into the company’s engineering pipeline from the outset, established advisory panels across the US and Europe to put lived experience at the heart of product development, and leads a team that is majority women, a culture she has deliberately built so that everyone can thrive.
International Inspiration Award
- Niroshini De Silva, Senior Manager Business Development, Spectra Logistics Pvt Limited, from Kaduwela, Sri Lanka
When Niroshini joined Spectra Logistics in Sri Lanka in 2022, she didn’t just develop new business but actually helped to shape national trade infrastructure. Working with the country’s customs authority and Ministry of Finance, she secured Sri Lanka’s third Public Bond facility and grew its utilisation from zero to 83% within two years. She also designed an innovative bulk shipping solution to deliver 5,000 metric tonnes of product to Unilever Sri Lanka, replacing traditional containerised movements and delivering substantial cost savings. Away from her commercial role, she serves on the executive committee of WISTA Sri Lanka, where she launched a careers programme creating structured pathways for female students into maritime, shipping and logistics. Niroshini’s personal mission is to inspire women to pursue and thrive in logistics and supply chain careers, while contributing to sustainable industry growth at national and international levels.
The Freight Award
Above & Beyond
- Sally Ede, Head of Terminals, UK, DSV Road Ltd, from London
Sally leads seven national terminals and more than 150 staff as Head of Terminals UK at DSV, consistently stepping into complex, high-pressure environments to create stability and drive performance. Her senior director describes her as someone who takes personal ownership of challenges others might step back from, whether navigating resource shortages, supporting a struggling site or resetting performance expectations. Known for a people-first approach that fuels operational excellence, Sally has championed women and underrepresented groups long before it became industry standard, using her platform to drive representation and open doors for others. As her nominator said: “Sally raises the bar everywhere she goes.”
Leader
- Amanda Unsworth, CEO / MD, Trinity Logistics, from Liverpool
Amanda started her career on the Liverpool docks aged 17 and has since gone on to found Trinity Logistics, a freight and logistics company turning over £42 million, with offices in Liverpool and China. After 25 years of rising through the ranks, she was passed over for promotion and responded by launching a business herself. She has deliberately built a female-led management team, mentors female apprentices and works with Liverpool schools to introduce young people to careers in freight and logistics. A vocal advocate for green logistics, she champions the use of Liverpool’s ports, rail freight and regional hubs to reduce carbon impact and led a Liverpool City Region trade mission to China to promote sustainable logistics partnerships.
Sustainability Champion Award – sponsored by DSV
- Jen Hunt, Sustainability Director, Unipart, from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire
Jen has served as Sustainability Director at Unipart, the supply chain specialist, since 2022, leading the company’s drive toward its 2040 net-zero goals and overseeing a 39% reduction in its carbon footprint. Under her leadership, Unipart became the first organisation to win the British Safety Council’s Sword, Shield and Globe awards, recognising best practice in safety, wellbeing and sustainability, for three consecutive years. Beyond her environmental work, she has applied Unipart’s supply chain expertise to social causes, establishing a permanent base for child safeguarding charity Railway Children at the company’s Crewe site and partnering with Trussell to improve the efficiency of food bank operations across the UK.
Transport & Logistics Magazine – Driving The Industry Forward
