DB Cargo has appointed a specialist HR Projects Manager to expand diversity in its work force and support and encourage women to work in rail, addressing the huge lack of women in the industry.
Dr Amy Pressland has been chosen by the rail freight operator to lead a ‘Women in Management project’ that will identify the barriers that may prevent women from taking up roles and progressing in rail.
The outcome of the project will be to develop strategies in areas including recruitment and education.
The work demonstrates DB Cargo’s strong commitment to helping change the current situation in the rail industry where only 15% of the workforce in the UK is female (according to a report from Women in Rail).
The report, released in November 2015, revealed that out of the 87,000 people working in rail only 13,492 were women.
“Only 19% of these women are in managerial roles and only 0.6% are at director or executive level,” said Dr Pressland.
“With so many talented women in the UK this isn’t the way that it should be and there are things that can be done to show women the great opportunities that are available to them in rail.
“There are already many successful women at DB Cargo where two members of the Company Board in the UK, one in France and two in Spain are female.
“I am now visiting sites across DB Cargo UK and will later be travelling to Spain and France to understand how we can continue to build on this.”
Dr Pressland joins DB Cargo from the University of East Anglia where she was a Lecturer in Education, and her research focused on media representations of gender and how gender functions within the workplace.
She received a PhD from the University of York in 2012 and has also worked extensively abroad, speaking fluent French and Spanish.
She said: “I was keen to move from Higher Education to the corporate sector as I believe this will allow me to instigate real change in the workplace. It’s wonderful that DB Cargo is so committed to improving the diversity of its work force and to ensuring it provides opportunities to female colleagues already at the company.
“I look forward to working with people across DB Cargo UK, and our sister companies ECR in France and Transfesa in Spain to make tangible and impactful changes.”
If you are a journalist and would like further information, please contact:
DB Cargo UK Press Office: +44 (0)1302 575798 Email: [email protected]
Notes to editors:
· DB Cargo UK is the UK’s largest rail freight operator
· The business previously known as DB Schenker Rail UK officially became DB Cargo UK on 2nd March 2016
· The change is part of a full re-branding of DB Schenker Rail business units across Europe – which will all become known as DB Cargo during the course of 2016
· Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/dbcargouk
