Cargo in the blood Audrey Serdjebi
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his week I met a truly global young woman with unbridled talent. Elena Volkova represents the future. Instead of simply believing in a better world, she is building one. That’s her job. Transforming our world to make it simpler and bring it all within our reach. Elena is passionate. I’ve never met anyone so capable of boosting your spirits. Her drive, curiosity and ambition make her one of the leaders of the future. Elena is intercultural: “I’ve lived and worked in Russia, the US and Singapore, I’ve built various projects alongside a range of countries and I’ve travelled numerous places around the world – it couldn’t not shape who I am today. I care about people and the challenges we all face rather than which flag is on our passports.” “I believe in change and I believe that it’s up to us to shape that change.” And it’s that mindset that makes her the person you call when you need to move things forward. It’s because Elena isn’t simply content with being gifted with a formidable determination, but above all, it’s because she’s an expert in digital transformation that she has made CEOs’ ambitions into reality. “I’ve been through all the software development and business layers and worked with multiple startups and enterprises. For over 10 years I’ve been working with ambi-
tious CEOs and founders, transforming their vision and ideas into software solutions.” Elena doesn’t believe in fairytales or happy endings – she makes them real and reliable:
“If you have a dream, it most probably can be achieved with technology and I can make that dream come true.” The good news is that Elena has joined our industry, and as was the case for the majority of us, it was a match made in heaven. It’s incredible to hear these stories of falling in love with “our” industry that emerge day after
Cargo and Other Stories by Lemon Queen day, regardless of when they’re from. She sees air cargo as a changing world, and a world in which she has a real part to play: “It is a major global industry and it is yet to go through a full digitalisation. To do so, it needs support from tech experts to boost the efficiency and service level that air cargo customers are looking for.” While Elena is aware of our own obstacles and the time that it could take, she is radical when she talks about change: “I believe that changes to the way we live and do business are needed. For over a dozen years, I’ve been involved in the digital transformation of the manufacturing, retail and hospitality industries – none of these transformations came easily, but in time you could see the benefit of all the work that was done.” The crisis we have been going through in recent months is a daily reminder of the extent to which it is our choice whether or not to be at the mercy of these changes. The world hasn’t stopped turning. In fact, it has been turning much faster. “We were pushed into isolation, but life couldn’t be put on hold. Industries that adopted automation earlier are having an easier crisis than those that didn’t. Now it’s up to us – to act on new findings or be crushed by the ‘new normal’.” Elena has joined a company whose entire
In logistics, the female is higher than the male
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emale leaders are rated higher than their male counterparts in the logistics industry, according to a survey of over 1,800 supply chain professionals undertaken by organisational development company Novosensus. The unique research reveals that, while only 13% of senior leaders in logistics are female, women score higher on six out of seven leadership competencies.
“Female leadership is not soft, and not only about empathy,” said Henrik Kofod-Hansen, co-founder, Novosensus. “Female leaders offer a full range of competencies that bring their organisations forward and create results. “Gender equality is a strategic business issue, not a nice-to-have Corporate Social Responsibility project. We need to be concrete about accelerating female talent into leadership positions, not with quotas, but by realising the business opportunities in equality, diversity of thought, and inclusive behaviours.” The findings, released in a new Novosensus White Paper on How Gender Balance Makes Business Better, also highlight the challenges faced by women in the logistics industry. Female respondents rated their employee experience 10% lower than men’s and felt they are not treated equally, rating their experience of their leaders 19% lower than men. “The research is clear – gender equality makes
business activity is focused on facilitating access to tomorrow’s world. Tomorrow is already here – today. We have all become aware of this – and for most of us, this realisation was sudden. I can’t tell you what company she works for. But I know that she’ll play a crucial role in how we see our day-to-day lives and in the way in which we reclaim the new practices of this incredible industry. And clearly Elena knows this: “Another trend is AI, blockchain and robotics – go digital or go home. These are trends which are being picked up by many industries, and I am very happy that air cargo is looking in that direction. There’s still a long way to go but it’s an exciting journey ahead.” It is still a question of resilience. As we know, only the most agile and the most daring will emerge unscathed. The new normal is brutal, but fortunately, Elena isn’t working alone – she is part of a small army of people who are ready to help us make the leap. I can’t wait to share what I know about this company with you. Like Elena, they are young and optimistic and they like people. But above all, they believe in change, and that’s what makes them strong: “Now is the right time for air cargo to set out on a path of uncomfortable change and to come out stronger for the next decade.
organisations and businesses better,” said Kofod-Hansen. Cultures become more open, creativity flourishes, collaboration is better and performance is higher. “But most organisations are far from having a balance and they struggle with absurdly imbalanced workforces. “We need to make equality, diversity and inclusion the new normal.” Novosensus quizzed over 1,800 leaders from the supply chain, shipping, logistics and forwarding industries, asking them to rate experiences about leadership, experience at work and experience of their leaders. Singapore-based Novosensus works with companies to drive organisational change, team development, and leadership growth through training, coaching and business consultancy. Novosensus’ White Paper on How Gender Balance Makes Business Better: download at novosensus.org/ research.
Lemon Queen is an airfreight industry public relations and communications agency in Paris, France
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