On 27 April 2023, the Ulm Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Girls' Day 2023, under the motto “I Will Be the Boss”, brought 23 girls and young women to the Noerpel Group headquarters in Ulm. During the event, participants gained first-hand insights into training and career opportunities within the transport and logistics sector, and met successful female leaders from across the organisation.
Girls' Day is a nationwide career orientation initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, as well as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The programme introduces young women to professions and degree courses in which women are underrepresented and highlights inspiring female leaders.
The Noerpel Group is a prime example of female leadership in the logistics industry. Currently, women represent 25 per cent of the company’s executive management team, which is significantly above the average of 8.3 per cent reported for the management boards of Germany’s 100 largest family-owned businesses.1 'We offer young talent every opportunity to build a successful career,' says Katharina Hoffmann, Project Manager at the Noerpel Group and coordinator of the Girls' Day event in Ulm. 'It is important to us that young women discover the wide range of career paths available in logistics.'
Women in Logistics
The logistics sector is still often perceived as a male-dominated industry. According to figures published by the German Logistics Association (BVL), women accounted for just 20.7 per cent of employees in logistics, transport and traffic-related professions in 2017.2 Excluding professional drivers, this figure rose to 28.7 percent.
Similar figures can be seen within the Noerpel Group, where around 72 per cent of the company's almost 3,000 employees are male and 28 per cent are female. However, the picture is very different in commercial functions, where women already account for 45 per cent of employees. "Overall, we are already on the right track at the Noerpel Group, but we want to inspire even more women and girls to consider a career in our industry," explains Judith Noerpel-Schneider, Member of the Executive Management Board of the Noerpel Group. “Girls’ Day provides the ideal opportunity to achieve exactly that.”
Participants experienced the diversity of modern logistics through a guided tour of the transhipment and warehouse logistics areas, followed by presentations on training programmes and career options within the industry. A particular highlight of the day was a speed-networking session with female leaders in various management roles at Noerpel.
Insights from female leaders
Female managers from across the organisation participated in personal discussions with the students. Representatives from executive management, operational functions, and administrative departments shared insights into their daily responsibilities and professional backgrounds, and discussed the aspects of their careers they value most. Participants also had the opportunity to ask questions and receive practical advice directly from these experienced professionals. The event also provided an overview of apprenticeship and dual-study opportunities within the Noerpel Group. The company’s training manager in Ulm and a current dual-study student were available all day to answer questions and offer guidance on career entry pathways.
“Whether in dispatching, warehouse operations, human resources or IT, Girls’ Day allows us to demonstrate just how many exciting career opportunities exist within logistics,” says Judith Noerpel-Schneider. 'Our goal is to attract more women to our family-owned company and showcase the excellent career prospects that our industry can offer. We would be delighted if some of today's participants chose to start their careers at Noerpel in the future.”
[1] https://www.allbright-stiftung.de/stillstand
[2] https://www.bvl.de/publikationen/newsletter-logmedien/logletter/downloads/logletter-062019-