Mihaela, the Chief Information Officer for DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific, is an IT and technology expert from Asia Pacific region. She brings over14 years of extensive experience in management consulting and 5 years in IT, holding IT domain knowledge in Transportation and Warehousing. She has previously led supply chain management roles for technology, pharma, automotive, consumer goods companies. In her current role, she is responsible for IT delivery and execution for 13 markets, with a strong focus on building capabilities and enabling success in data analytics and accelerated digitalization.

In a recent conversation with the Global Woman Leader Magazine, Mihaela talks about evolution of digital technologies in logistics and women’s role in facilitating this growth. Focusing on the need to build diverse teams, she highlights the strategies for doing so and the impact of fostering an inclusive workplace culture that drives future innovation in the logistics industry.

Read the article to know more.

How do you perceive the role of women in shaping technological advancements in the logistics sector? What specific contributions are women making that are transforming industry practices?

Logistics and technology are traditionally male-dominated fields. However, more women are rising through the ranks. Our DHL Group goal for female representation in management is at least 30 percent by 2025, and as of 2024, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific is at 26.4 percent. I've seen many female leaders pave the way. I’ve worked with our global Chief Information Officer, Sally Miller, in the US, along with a female peer in Latin America leading in IT. We're fortunate to have these role models shaping opportunities for new joiners and graduates.

Throughout my career, throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with any women who excel in data analytics and problem-solving, both crucial in technology, especially in logistics with AI, digital platforms, and data-driven initiatives. Additionally, in my experience, many female leaders are skilled at building relationships and forming strategic partnerships, which has been essential in advancing DHL's digital agenda. While we develop some solutions in-house, much of our progress comes from partnerships with vendors and suppliers, areas where these strengths have been instrumental in driving success.

Which emerging digital trends or technologies do you think are presenting unique opportunities for women leaders in the logistics industry? How are these trends creating new avenues for women to drive innovation?

Some key trends I would highlight include AI, which is widely discussed, along with automation and robotics. I see technology levelling the playing field, allowing us to integrate more women in our warehouses through human-robot collaboration. We have more than 2,000 robotics, automation, and software solutions live in APAC, including robots that sort shipments; move goods around the warehouse, helping us to pick and put away orders more efficiently; and robots that help to palletize and depalletize shipments. This enables robots to assist with or take over labour-intensive tasks, leading to a more equitable distribution of work.

Additionally, AI in coding and content development is making the industry more attractive and accessible to a broader range of people, including women and those from diverse backgrounds. What once required tech expertise now offers easier entry points, creating more opportunities for advancement.

How do you believe women leaders are influencing the strategic direction of digital transformation within logistics organizations? Can you provide examples of how female leadership has introduced novel approaches to technology adoption and integration?

From what I’ve seen across the tech industry, women are significantly influencing the direction of user-centric design, with a strong ability to understand and prioritize user needs and preferences. These skills are essential in transforming initiatives. Another key area is building relationships and strategic partnerships, where collaboration plays a vital role in advancing agendas.

I've seen excellent examples of this, especially in agile supply chains and partnerships with vendors in the robotics space. Women leaders typically excel at promoting collaboration across functional teams, which is crucial for digital initiatives that span departments, countries, and divisions. Over 80 percent of our sites have digitalization projects, which also creates more opportunities for outstanding female leaders to step up in our operations. Their ability to build cross-functional teams, care for members, and ensure all voices are heard has proven valuable in driving these initiatives.

Lastly, in digital transformation, our leadership team understands that change management and communication are critical. I’ve seen many female leaders in our company, they often bring enthusiasm and a strong ability to engage users, and that helps our employees tounderstand technology and embrace it with excitement rather than fear.

How can fostering a more inclusive environment within technology teams enhance the effectiveness of digital transformation efforts? What strategies have been successful in ensuring diverse perspectives?

Fostering an inclusive environment is essential to success, as diverse teams bring different perspectives. One key strategy we've employed, and other organizations are focusing on, is diverse hiring. The best way to generate a pipeline of capable female leaders is to hire diversely and ensure people receive mentorship and sponsorship to advance through their careers.

There is a limited number of senior female leaders in technology and logistics, and rather than poaching talent, it's important to focus on developing it. This means hiring the right people and providing the necessary development opportunities.

With that in mind, we've implemented programs to support and develop female talent at various stages of their careers. We have a program supporting young female managers called Shift Up A Gear, and among the participants we’ve had from 2021 to 2023, 55 percent of these female managers have taken on new roles, helping them advance their careers with new opportunities within the organization. We also launched ourAPAC Woman Leaders Program in 2022 and anAPAC Mentoring Hub in 2023, both of which aim to cultivate female leadership within DHL Supply Chain and drive our growth agenda in Asia Pacific markets.

Additionally, building diverse teams requires cross-functional collaboration. It's not just about the IT department, which has traditionally been male dominated, but also about engaging users, operators, HR, finance, and other functions. Ensuring these teams are diverse in terms of experience, gender, background, and understanding of technology is key to successfully driving change and digital transformation.

Looking ahead, what role do you envision women playing in the next phase of digital transformation within logistics and beyond? How can the industry harness the full potential of female leaders to drive future technological innovations?

The path we are on will continue with greater automation and increased use of technologies such as AI and robotics. It's about building on the foundation of technology leadership, fostering innovation, challenging the status quo, and applying skills like customer and user-centricity to invest in the right areas. Having the right talent will play a crucial role in ensuring these technologies are deployed ethically, inclusively, and sustainably, and so we have to create an equitable work environment to engage the women in our workforce.

To fully harness this potential, we need to engage women early in their careers, particularly through STEM education, and highlight the wide range of opportunities in fields like robotics and AI. It's essential to move beyond the idea that IT is just about coding and show young women the broader scope of the industry. Leadership development, especially transitioning from technical roles to leadership, or from other functions into IT, is also key. Support from leadership in acquiring technical knowledge quickly, combined with cross-functional experience, will help women grow in these roles.

Networking platforms, such as women in IT groups and societies, are important for building relationships, sharing experiences, and tackling challenges together. Finally, celebrating achievements is crucial to inspire others and show that success is possible.

How can organizations effectively measure the impact of female leadership on their digital transformation outcomes? What metrics or indicators should be used to evaluate the contributions of women?

I'm torn on this. There's already substantial evidence that diverse teams perform better, with studies showing the positive impact on financials and customer satisfaction. However, organizations should be cautious in measuring female leadership's effect on digital transformation. Isolating such measures might seem like an attempt to prove something that's already understood—diverse teams drive success. We no longer need to prove that female leadership leads to better outcomes. It’s clear we already deserve a seat at the table, and our value is recognized.

The focus should be on driving technological progress, actively working towards creating an inclusive environment that best supports women and men alike andensuring equitable contributions from both men and women. With that, we can keep employeessatisfied, business performance improves, and talent is retained. We have to recognize that diverse teams drive business success through enhancing creativity and innovation, and the progress that comes from this does not only benefit women, but all genders simultaneously.

Messages to Readers

I would like to see more women take an interest in technology and explore the possibilities it offers, especially in areas like logistics. We're just at the beginning of this journey, with robotics, AI, and other emerging trends. I encourage young women and female leaders to consider technology as a career path, as it offers immense opportunities for growth, learning, and continuous development.