You need a lady to bring method to the madness that is the chaotic world of logistics, especially where last-minute changes are the norm.
      Step in Dr. Veni Mathur.
      A teacher, she is a transport economist with a PhD from the venerable and internationally well-known Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). She has been a visiting faculty member at IIT Delhi for the last 15 years.
      Dr. Mathur believes that women definitely have a place in the world of cargo, although the sector is essentially a male-dominated one. “Logistics,” she says, “is a male-dominated sector, which is unorganized and chaotic to the extent that there are always some last minute changes to be made to suit the needs of an important client. This often leads to frayed tempers but the presence of a woman helps to bring order in the house. There is a place for women in the areas of Customer care, Marketing, HR, back office maintenance of files and records, and most important, education and training.”
      As for her male colleagues, she is candid: “The people I have worked with have always been cooperative.”
      In the industry for more than 15 years, Dr. Mathur’s area of interest has been Education and Training. A certified trainer and evaluator for the CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, International, based in UK) courses on Logistics and Transport, “I have also assisted in developing the Diploma in Logistics course for the Institute of Rail Transport, besides conducting courses in Transport Planning and IT Applications to Transport at the School of Planning & Architecture. This journey,” she says with a sparkle in her eyes, “has been very exciting, where I am satisfied to have helped candidates to enrich themselves and make a successful career in the field of Logistics. In doing so, I have earned a lot of respect,” she says.
      Even after all these years, Dr. Mathur is fascinated by the world of cargo. In fact, it holds a special attraction for her. She points to three reasons for her interest: The first, she says is “the challenge of constantly evolving to meet the demand and help reduce cost and enhance profits.” The next is that the excitement comes from keeping abreast with the changing norms at the world level and the third—perhaps the most important—is the “use of Intelligent Transport Systems and other IT-based solutions and how to indigenize them for successful usage within India for real time information availability.”
      Dr. Mathur then proceeds to give us her take on the industry: “A woman who successfully runs a house, meeting last minute challenges and demands of the family, can handle a Logistics firm efficiently and do all operations. The stumbling block is the environment and the attitude of the people around her.”
Tirthankar Ghosh