Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) Vice Chair, Coralie Chapman, won the Excellence in Transport award at the 2023 Women in Industry Awards.
During her acceptance speech Chapman took the opportunity to highlight the importance of making women feel invited into the industry rather than intimidated.
“If there is a takeaway tonight, I hope is that instead of saying ‘male dominated industry,’ which can sound very threatening – especially for young women – we change it to ‘predominantly male’,” she said.
“’Predominantly male’ sounds more inviting. If we can learn to change our language when we’re talking to women, it’s a big step towards getting more women into any predominantly male industry.”
Chapman is well known within transport for working tirelessly to ensure the safety and viability of the industry, as well as encouraging women to choose transport as a career path and advocating for diversity and inclusion.
Since accepting a traineeship at Linfox almost 25 years ago, she has worked her way through the ranks to her current role as National Logistics Manager at Humes Concrete Products.
“I love working in transport and have loved it since day one,” she said.
“I’m quite lucky these days. I work for Humes Concrete, so I also do construction manufacturing, but I also get to play with my trucks every day.”
Following the 2023 Women in Industry Awards, Chapman told Trailer she is excited to see what the future holds for the industry.
“I think the future of the industry is in good hands,” she said.
“We need people who are passionate whether they are male or female. There is so much more to this industry that meets the eye and so much more to do.”
The 2023 Women in Industry Awards were held at Aerial South Wharf in Melbourne.
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