Beata Krawczyk, Managing Director of Wim Bosman Polska, H&S Transport, and Mainfreight Polska, has been named “Woman in Logistics 2012”. This prestigious award was presented during the 2nd Women in Logistics Forum, which took place on May 16, 2013, in Warsaw.
The “Woman in Logistics” title is awarded annually by the Pracujwlogistyce.pl portal as part of the “Women in Logistics” publishing series, in which the portal presents female personalities and interesting figures from the Polish logistics world. The “Woman in Logistics” statuette is presented during the Women in Logistics Forum, a conference dedicated to female managers working on both the supplier and customer sides of logistics services.
This year’s distinction and the title of “Woman in Logistics 2012” were awarded to Ms. Beata Krawczyk, Managing Director of three transport, forwarding, and logistics companies: WIM Bosman Polska, H&S Transport, and Mainfreight Polska.
Beata Krawczyk holds a degree in finance and banking, and she began her professional career in a legal and accounting office, and as she says herself, she ended up in logistics by accident.
– The consulting firm I worked for served the TSL market, and its clients included companies such as P&O and H&S Transport. I found myself on the team serving these companies, and that is how I started learning about logistics – says Beata Krawczyk.
When she was accepted for a statutory auditor apprenticeship, she realized that she was not cut out to be an accountant because she does not like peace and quiet or sitting behind a desk. She was fascinated by logistics, where there is constant movement. Fate decided for her; unexpectedly, she received a job offer at H&S Transport, which was just entering the Polish market in the early 2000s. She was offered the management and development of the company. She accepted this challenge because, as she said – “There are no impossible things, and the only thing that stops me from acting is the safety and health of people.”
She admits that the beginnings were quite difficult; moving into logistics from a law office, where it was considered a faux pas to come to work without a jacket, she suddenly had to enter an environment of drivers who have their own language, their own habits, and one has to adopt a completely different management style.
– I broke through and learned tough management. Along the way, I also completed logistics studies at the Kozminski University and learned the specifics of entire supply chains. – says B. Krawczyk.
Her commitment and charisma brought successive successes, and her work in logistics gave her increasing satisfaction. She dynamically developed the H&S Transport company, implemented ISO, and did so without external consultants, using only the strength of the entire team, strengthening the organization’s position on the Polish market. She was constantly expanding the company, and after Poland’s accession to the European Union, she received a proposal to introduce another company to Poland – Wim Bosman, one of the largest road carriers in Europe (over 1,700 vehicles). Both companies, H&S and Wim Bosman, cooperate with each other. In 2011, another company joined this group of enterprises – the New Zealand-based Mainfreight group, whose introduction to the Polish market was also entrusted to Ms. Beata Krawczyk, and so today she manages three companies in the TSL industry – Wim Bosman Polska, H&S Transport, and Mainfreight Polska.
– In 2010, Wim Bosman decided to sell its shares to the New Zealand global forwarder Mainfreight, whose company I also established in Poland and which I also manage. I will add that in the meantime, I also opened and managed an H&S branch in Russia, which took me a year and a half and was quite a challenge. Currently, such a challenge is introducing the Mainfreight company to Eastern European countries – says Beata Krawczyk.
The “Woman in Logistics 2012” distinction is awarded by a Jury appointed by the editorial staff of Pracujwlogistyce.pl. The selection consists of one stage, during which the Jury members select three candidates each, to whom they award places from 1 to 3, with each place being scored from 3 to 1 point. After summing up the number of points awarded to the candidates, the title of “Woman in Logistics 2012” is awarded to the one who receives the highest number of points. When making the selection, the Jury evaluates and takes into account the following criteria: career path; taking on new challenges/professional development; professional successes; passion for the profession, and work-life-balance.
The goal of the “Woman in Logistics of the Year” award is to promote women working in broadly understood logistics, present their professional achievements and commitment to the development of the industry, and honor their successes.