Loren Astridge, GM Bevie on Women in Supply Chain

You know in my journey to leadership I feel I've been exceptionally fortunate, and that's actually come down to the people that have given me the opportunity. I don't think any of those decisions were based on my gender, but I would like to think that the aspect that I bring into leadership roles enhances the teams I'm on, particularly if they are male dominant, which they have tended to be.

For me, diversity has many layers, and gender is one of those aspects. I do believe females in any function of any business in any industry are highly valuable for an organization to have. Do I think we should be prescriptive about enforcing that? No, but I love the fact that women are stepping into spaces that they haven't traditionally stepped into before.

There is such diversity now in how different families are organised, how families run, and how that plays into the workforce. To me, that is equally an important dynamic to have represented in any conversation. Gender diversity is important, but just as important as culture, sexuality, or home life structure. For me, it's about having diversity of thought at the table.