Julie Welch, HR director of Chippenham-based logistics firm Wincanton, has been shortlisted in a major national awards scheme for her long-term efforts to champion diversity and equality in the business.
HR magazine’s prestigious Most Influential Practitioner of the Year Award recognises HR professionals who have had the greatest influence in the field of people management and provides a definitive list of the top influencers in the sector. 
Julie Welch, pictured, has been nominated for her outstanding personal expertise and influence, and for her efforts to increase gender diversity within Wincanton and across the logistics industry. Her work over the past year has been crucial to the success of the business, which has a turnover of more than £1.1bn.
Julie has worked in HR for more than 20 years, with jobs in the Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s before joining Wincanton in 2011.
She said: “It is a great honour to be nominated for such a major award. With over 15,500 employees working for Wincanton across the UK and Ireland, including 250 at our HQ in Chippenham, developing our workforce and harnessing their talent is a considerable but highly rewarding task.
“Diversity is a major focus for me. Women account for just 22% of the logistics workforce in the UK, which is roughly half the figure in other sectors. We are playing an active role in changing this statistic through apprenticeships, management training programmes and by raising awareness of the fantastic employment opportunities in the supply chain for young people and women.”
The finalists are voted for by readers of HR magazine, with the winners unveiled at an exclusive event at London’s Claridge’s on September 22.
To vote, visit: www.hrmostinfluential.co.uk
