Mom and warehouse supervisor: Melissa's Kuehne + Nagel career

Each day Melissa faces the nippy environment of the temperature-controlled warehouse where she works. It stores perishables ranging from vegetables to dairy products, which her team gathers on pallets to send to the supermarkets of our customer. Perhaps the cold could be to blame for the fact that, before Melissa joined, there was not a single woman in the team. “She succeeded magnificently in her leadership role as the first woman to join us in the warehouse”, says Georgios – Operations Manager on-site. We were curious to hear Melissa’s side of the story.

“Logistics is a sector that is constantly in motion”, Melissa says when asked why she decided to work in a warehouse environment in the first place. “I like it when things move quickly and when you can see the results of your work right away. In a warehouse environment, we have daily deadlines to ensure that the shipments for our customer are prepared on time. This daily kind of race against the clock is quite exciting.” After having spent 11 years in a logistics center for medical devices, she came to Kuehne + Nagel. “Kuehne + Nagel offered broader career perspectives. It’s a very rewarding and challenging work environment so I don’t regret my decision to join the company for a second.”

In her role as Supervisor, Melissa guides her own team. All the ‘magic’ happens in the chilly temperature-controlled warehouse, which is divided into 3 rooms: one measuring 2°C, another one between 8°C and 10°C and the biggest room is 4°C. In this giant fridge, Melissa and her team handle the customer’s orders. “As a people manager, I learn every day with my team. In my role it’s mainly important to listen. Just listen! I can’t stress it enough”, she says. “And mutual trust is also essential. In the end, we’re one team that strives towards a common goal. Different job titles don't matter. What matters is that we deliver a good service to our customer and we’re all responsible for that.”

Being a female ‘chef de service’ (as her role is called in French) in a male-dominated warehouse is one thing. Arriving at home every day to take on the duty of motherhood is a whole other challenge. “My kids know that I’m a Supervisor and that I work a lot of hours. They’re actually quite proud of that. ‘Maman le chef’, they always say to their friends.” And while the time claimed by the care for her kids keeps declining as they grow older and gain independence, Melissa’s hunger for a new professional challenge is growing. “I feel like this is about the right time for me to start focusing on my career. I’m in my thirties, I have gained quite some experience, and my kids don’t need their mom that much anymore, so it’s now or never.”

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