Women are carving their niche in the male-dominated industries like the aviation sector — as evident in how lady boss Rosemarie Rafael, chairwoman and president of Airspeed Group of Companies, dominated her industry.
“When they elected me as the first chairwoman president of the Air Cargo Forward Association that’s what I’m saying that we’ve proven that women can also be in a male-dominated industry,” Rafael said in an interview on Gising Na!, a multi-platform show of the Daily Tribune, on Thursday.
“Now I can say that there are a lot of women who are leaders in the industry,” she added.
Airspeed Group or AIC Group of Companies Holding Corp. is the parent company of several logistics firms such as Airspeed International Corporation, ASP Airspeed Philippines, Inc., ASX Airspeed Express Inc., Amazing Philippines Digital Economy Corp., and the property firm, AGC Properties Inc.
Rafael recalled that when she started at the company, there were only two women, but now, around 65 percent to 70 percent of the company’s workforce are women.
According to her, the disparity between women and men in the workforce is getting closer and closer each day — especially as the market becomes more inclusive.
Travel sector past
Rafael started her career in the transportation and travel industry at Thai International Airlines Ltd.
In 1985, she founded Airspeed, a corporate logistics company, which is now present worldwide and serving its stakeholders in freight solutions management, warehousing, distribution, customized logistics, and customs clearance.
As an innovative entrepreneur, she spearheaded new digital products in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, such as UnboxMe, Pinaspeed, SpeedGifts and SpeedConcepts.
Based on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap report in 2021, the Philippines occupies the 17th place, with 78.4 percent of its overall gender gap closed.
The performance is the second best in the EAP region after New Zealand.
According to the report, the Philippine Magna Carta for Women, a landmark law signed nearly 13 years ago to eliminate discrimination against women, was among the progress driver.