A TEAM member at Amazon fulfilment centre in Rugby has made it to the final of the national everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards.
Serena Bird, from Coventry, has been nominated in the Warehousing (Above & Beyond) category in the awards, which celebrate the important contribution women make to the transport and logistics industry. The award is given to women excelling in their roles within a warehousing environment.
The nominees for this year’s awards demonstrate the progression, achievements and increasing avenues of opportunity available for women within a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Serena, who joined Amazon five years ago after studying for a degree in Art History and English Literature, said: “I’ve worked in three different sites at Amazon across every team since I joined the company. Inbound, outbound – you name it and I’ve probably done it. It’s all helped to shape me into the manager I am today.”
As part of Serena’s operations role, she sits on the board of an employee-led group at Amazon called Women in Operations, a subsection of Women at Amazon that acts a global group for women and allies interested in increasing gender diversity at the company.
This role, alongside her achievements as an operations manager, that’s secured her nomination for the award.
Serena credits her success in the field of operations to some of the mentors she had when embarking on her career.
“When I first started at Amazon I had an amazing operations manager. She was ex-military, and she was absolutely incredible – the epitome of everything I looked up to when I was brand new in the job. What she did for me has inspired me to do the same for others.
“That’s why one of my favourite parts of my role is not just mentoring women but connecting them. With my Women in Operations Board role, there are more than 150 points of contact across our site and business lines, and I get to link women with others and support them directly.”
“I’m quite lucky. I’ve got some incredible women in my life. I’ve got my mum and two incredible sisters, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t. It’s nice to think that I can be one of those people for someone else.”
Serena will find out if she’s been successful in the everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards at a ceremony in London on June 26.
