Celebrating women every year on 8th March is important, as it reminds us of the crucial role of women in society, the workplace, the home as mothers and of course, as friends. ERTICO launched the campaign #womenonthemove2019 one year ago to celebrate women and their achievements in mobility and highlights their needs in the transport industry. This year, on Women’s Day 2020, I look back at all the stories we have told and I feel proud of what we have learned and the messages that we have shared. I feel honoured to meet these women that have been pioneers in this challenging sector.

We spoke to Turkcell’s engineers Elif, Gulay and Nazil about being engineers in the male-dominated telecoms industry; Martina from Women in Mobility taught us about the power of networking and support for women working in the transport sector; Phanthian shared her experience about women working in logistics; Jennie from ITS UK spoke about women and the impact of BREXIT; Karla from the World Bank provided a global overview of how transport services impact the daily lives of women in both developed and developing countries; and Arshia shared her experience as a woman, mother and her role in start-ups.

In each of these interviews, I am reminded how important it is to ensure diversity in the workforce and of the huge benefits it brings in encouraging a different perspective and a collective ethos, whatever the field. As women we need to tell our stories, to share our successes and be role models for future generations of women, to make sure that gender equality remains a topic for discussion and that our rights are respected.

Personally, I have had a great role-model: my mother! She worked in the shipping industry and learned how to take her rightful space and making her voice heard amongst the many men she worked with.

Women on the Move has taught me and the ERTICO team much more than we expected and we hope these interviews will continue to inspire the younger generation of women that are considering a career in the transport sector. It is a challenging, but amazing journey for all of us.

This is why I am proud to launch #womenonthemove2020, to continue giving voice to the many stories out there that are still left to be told.

Irina Patrascu-Grant, ERTICO Communications and Partnership Director.