The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge

Showcasing Diversity Across Logistics

Thursday 26 June 2025

The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge

“Without diversity and inclusion we won’t have diversity of thought; without diversity of thought, we won’t have innovation; without innovation we won’t have sustainable supply chains; and without sustainable supply chains, we won’t save the planet!” Richard Atkinson CBE, CILT Fellow and Aston University academic fellow in supply chain management and engineering systems

Launched in 2019, The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge has been specifically designed to promote the importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) across the logistics and warehousing sectors.

The event brings together industry professionals to look at how diversity can be tackled collaboratively and collectively through physical and mental team-building challenges.

It is also an opportunity for organisations to share best practice, network, team build and help shape a more inclusive sector… while recognising and rewarding employees with an adventurous day of fun.

Nimble Media Ltd is proud to deliver The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge, which supports international development charity Transaid.

“When we talk about diversity we often focus on rebalancing gender and biological sex distribution in the workforce in our industry. Genuine diversity is about so much more. The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge showcases the benefits real diversity and inclusion bring to businesses and teams. Plus it’s a great day out that raises awareness alongside the fun.” – Laura Nelson, Managing Director of RTITB. 

The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge:

  • Showcases and emphasises the positive difference diversity brings to the industry
  • Brings together a cross-section of industry workforce, from undergraduates to CEOs
  • Promotes organisations’ messages supporting a more diverse and inclusive workforce
  • Opens doors for those looking to embark on a career in the logistics industry

Why is ED&I important?

A diverse and inclusive working environment, where team members’ unique needs, perspectives and potential are respected and encouraged, creates a sense of belonging. When employees feel more connected at work, they tend to work harder and smarter, producing higher quality work. As a result, organisations see huge gains in business results, innovation and decision-making.

What the Teams Say ...
  • "Even if we didn't win an award we won new memories!"

    Nina Ntatidou, WMG
  • "Had a blast with my work colleagues, we were in a great fun environment. was a great ice breaker for all!"

    Lois Lee, Morson International
  • "It is a great networking but also team building opportunity."

    Momchil Balgarinov, Mott MacDonald
  • "It was really a fantastic event. As students, we could not only adapt to communicating, working and coordinating with different people in a diversified environment in advance, but also get a better understanding of how diversified working environment of the logistics industry is."

    Zhen Zhou, WMG, Warwick University
  • "Join in the fun, meet great people and laugh"

    Michael Topple, Wincanton
  • "This was a unique experience that I did not expect and will never forget!"

    Molly Maurice-Smith, XPO Logisitics
  • "The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge (BLDC) is a fabulous opportunity to boost performance and productivity for all involved in logistics and Supply Chains. I lend my full support to this endeavour on 24th June at the Newark Showground and encourage all logistics organisations to enter a team in this unique opportunity. Amongst many others, Aston University is proud to be a supporting organisation. All of my experience tells me that innovation, acceleration, growth and success depend heavily upon equality of opportunity, diversity of thought and inclusivity. This is how the best new ideas ferment; how teams best cooperate to deliver, and how organisations best meet their objectives and reduce their risks. The BLDC is a fun, fulfilling and reaffirming event that highlights the culture needed for success; it’s a special opportunity to show off and develop Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) credentials in a fun and informative way."

    Dawn Bonfield MBE CEng FIMMM FICE HonFIStructE FWES, Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineering, Aston University | Director of Engineering Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • "We are delighted to be invited by our friends at 'Talent in Logistics' to be a supporting partner of the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge 2020. I call upon all companies and organisations in supply chain and logistics to get involved and transform our profession. Diversity and inclusion are vital to innovation and supply chain success. There is a great opportunity for all leaders in logistics to promote cultures that welcome challenge and advance inclusion; such cultures are, not least, key to successful recruitment and retention in these crucial professions that propel the national economy and underpin our freedom and security. The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge is a fantastic, fun and engaging way to 'show and grow' EDI credentials - I think everyone should want to be involved. This is bigger than all of us and we all need to step-up and work together for the greater good. Our thanks to friends at 'Talent in Logistics', Nimble Media -the event organisers, and Transaid - the event charity, for leading the way. Aston University - a leader in logistics education and research - is proud to be involved."

    Professor Edward Sweeney, Director of Aston Logistics & Systems Institute
  • "A fantastic day celebrating the great diversity in our industry, allowing us to team build and work together in new ways while having a lot of fun and a good dose of healthy competition!"

    Lorna Murphy, Abellio London
  • "An excellent event that demonstrated the power of bringing teams together outside of the work environment to understand the ethos of teamwork and playing to a range of strengths that vary between individuals. True Diversity!"

    Rob McWhirter, Yusen Logistics
  • "Fantastic day, tried new things and really helped me build confidence in talking to different people. Great for team building all round, excellent day."

    Zoe Howard, TXM Recruit
  • "The ultimate way to celebrate diversity within the industry, with a thoroughly enjoyable mix of physical and mental challenges designed with everyone from every walk of life in mind."

    Danny Mahmood, Amey
  • "An amazing day of fun coming together with other leading logistic companies, all to build upon on ensuring inclusivity within our industry. Thank you to the event organisers and all the sponsors that put on an amazing day"

    Amy Gardiner, Wincanton
  • Thank you for a great day of activities, our team had a great time and one of them event won a raffle prize!"

    Balbir Singh Flora MBE, RAF Logistics
  • "On Thu 16 Sep 21 RAF OTA and RAF Coningsby Logs Sqn teamed up to enter two teams into the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge at Newark Showground.

    This ridiculously fun, challenging, and competitive event saw the teams complete 12 challenges against 20 other teams from across the country. The eclectic events ranged from the Haka, Soapbox Derby, It's a Knockout, cryptic mental challenges and a dance off to name but a few, and all were done completely sober!

    The key message was of diversity, unity and teamwork as well as learning more about all our team members. The RAF OTA teams were clearly doing something right as they battled for the top two places.

    We send our thanks to Nimble Media for organising this fantastic event and we look forward to returning next year with hopefully even more teams from across the RAF stations."

    Ben Wadd, RAF OTA
  • "It’s been a hard couple of years for everyone, and my team like many others has had ups and downs with people on furlough, isolation and now helping out where we can with drivers crisis & previously BREXIT.

    It was SO SO NICE today to get out to the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge with the team and just do something as a team!

    This was our second year, and every time we come away from it more together as a team! If you’re looking for something to do in 2022 which will just be a nice break for the team to just get some space - absolutely recommend this!

    Thanks so much to the team that pulled this together from Nimble Media Ltd & Talent in Logistics from all the Yusen Samurai"

    Benjamin Bird, Yusen Logistics
  • "An incredible day, I have grown both personally and professionally and thoroughly enjoyed every moment - I can’t wait to take my learnings from this day into the workplace and continue driving equality and diversity within the logistics sector."

    Christiane Davies, DHL Supply Chain
  • "It was a pleasure to represent DHL at The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge and it did not disappoint! An action packed day full of creative activities definitely kept us on our toes.

    An important reminder to how diverse teams and different thinking can benefit our industry. Thank you to Nimble Media Ltd and Talent in Logistics for hosting the day!"

    Scott McDonald, DHL
  • "Yesterday myself and a group of colleagues attended The Big Logistics Diversity challenge at Newark Showground, the day was a huge success! It’s was great to meet new people from around our business and logistics sector."

    Steven Carr, Wincanton
  • "An amazing day with amazing people! We didn't come 1st place but coming in 3rd place is still a great achievement. What mattered more was the team spirit and blast of a time we all had."

    Suhayl Ahmed, DHL
  • "An astounding day representing Wincanton at the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge, supporting our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion within logistics!

    It was so lovely to meet new faces within the company, have fun and showcase our great teamwork throughout the day"

    Yasmin Dunn, Wincanton
  • "The Transaid team loved being at the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge yesterday and helping run and judge the challenge, River Rapids.

    It was great to see some of our corporate members DHL, Wincanton, Microlise, CILT (UK), Cold Chain Federation, British International Freight Association - BIFA, UKWA - Get ready for Brexit taking part and supporting the event.

    A special well done to Palletways UK who won our award for their excellent team work and communication on our challenge!

    Thank you for having us as the beneficiary charity, we can’t wait until next year!"

    Transaid
  • "What a day we have had at this years Big Logistics Diversity Challenge! 🎉

    We have seen challenges that brought team collaboration, communication, mental ability and physical ability. A fantastic event to get involved in to promote #diversity, #equality and #inclusion in the workplace, and it was great to see so many #logistics organisations involved!

    It was also great to catch up with Jim French MBE Richard Atkinson CBE Jennifer Swain Clare Bottle FCILT Lynn Crump

    In all, Talent in Logistics was proud to be this years delivery partner and we can’t wait to get involved again in 2022"

    Talent in Logistics
  • Last week, team ‘Better Together’ took part in The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge representing Associated British Ports. The event promoted the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace and the benefits this has on businesses. A very fun day, full of mental and physical challenges with an important message!

    Fiona Brown, Associated British Ports
  • "I had a great day yesterday at The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge with colleagues from across Clipper Logistics plc showing that a diverse team is a strong team! Each member of our team brought something different, a variety of departments, ages and even nationalities, but it was only together that we could complete every challenge thrown at us.

    As we were reminded yesterday, research suggests that the logistics industry remains a predominantly white-male dominated space, but it was wonderful to see 22 business and over 250 logistics professions with the same passion to create an inclusive culture for all in logistics 💪"

    Rebecca Wild, Clipper Logistics plc
  • I had a fantastic day yesterday in the sunshine with some of our graduates at the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge. We didn't win, but we had a lot of fun! It was great to see the grads working together as a team on the various challenges and honing their communication and listening skills. They absolutely smashed the Haka! Well done all.

    Alison Rumsey, FCIPD, Associated British Ports
  • What an incredible day! Yesterday’s The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge was a fantastic event with a very important message, and we were thrilled to be invited. A huge thanks to RTITB for asking Adam Smith and Benjamin Jones to join their team for the day – they had a blast!

    Mentor FLT Training Limited
  • "Another fantastic day for Team 'Yusen Samurai' representing Yusen Logistics (Europe) at the The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge!

    Well done to @BenjaminBird @LouiseKellyman @MilenaChambers, @KhalilAshong @GavinRoberts @MarilynMace @MatthewStead Max Faulkner Anna Gasper for an amazing team effort and helping to raise awareness of diversity across logistics.

    Brilliant team building day for an equally brilliant team!"

    Yusen Logistics (Europe)
  • "As part of Roadside Services, we took part in the The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge which demonstrates and celebrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion within the logistics sector. Well done to all companies involved and a big thank you to the organisers.

    We even took home an award! 🏆"

    SNAP
  • "Great day out at the The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge promoting diversity and inclusivity across the logistics industry.

    Even managed to bring an award back to SNAP HQ.

    Thank you to all those involved in organising a great day."

    Stuart Martin, SNAP
  • "RTITB believes that Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (#EDI) has an important role to play in developing, engaging, and retaining valuable people. That’s why today we were proud to support The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge.

    It was great to see how well the teams worked together to overcome the fun challenges set throughout the day, all against a backdrop that highlighted the importance of diversity in the #transport, #logistics and #warehousing industry."

    RTITB
  • "What a day we have had at this years The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge! 🎉 A fantastic event to get involved in to promote #diversity, #equality and #inclusion in the workplace.

    We were proud to be this years delivery partner and we can’t wait to get involved again!"

    Talent in Logistics
  • "Last week, I took part in the Big Logistic diversity challenge together with my fellow colleagues from DFDS. As grads, this is our second year of participating and the challenges never fails to surprise us.

    We laughed, we bonded and we became an amazing team!!

    Diversity and inclusion is an integral part of DFDS and through this event we are able to showcase its importance within our company. This can be seen by how well we worked together as a team and succeeded as the 2nd and 5th place overall!

    A big thank you to the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge for another amazing event and to all my team mates for being the best!"

    Ythel Chrys Arimas, DFDS
  • A wonderful day yesterday with colleagues from DFDS as we entered two teams in the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge. In the end we placed 2nd and 3rd! A great achievement which shows what we can achieve when we all come together and bring our diverse experiences to any challenge… Big thanks to all of my team mates!

    James Ferguson, DFDS
  • Great fun - a team building event which highlights the importance of varied skills and abilities with and added competitive edge

    Laura Nelson, RTITB
  • A fantastic day out, great activities to test your teamwork skills while promoting the important message of diversity.

    Tom Parkinson, Associated British Ports (ABP)
  • "The event was so well organised and I fully appreciated how suitable it was for all abilities as there were one or two tasks I could not complete but my team were not negatively impacted by this and there was no shame involved.
    I haven’t laughed so much in such a long time and I will be highly recommending any of my peers to also try and attend the event next year."

    Emma Harris, Maersk
  • Great day to experience new things, make new friends and feel good! Lots of laughing!

    Samantha Watson, Microlise
  • "Last Thursday saw DSV take part in The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge, entering a team to take part in a host of activities that reinforce the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and the wider industry.
    The event saw our team tackle the haka, inflatable obstacles and even a blindfolded minefield all to highlight the importance of working together. #diversity #logistics #dsvteam"

    DSV
  • BLDC is a great event to raise awareness of the issues around diversity in logistics, while at the same time promoting and celebrating the successes of teamwork and collaboration across groups of individuals who work in logistics.
    I have learnt how resilient people can be, how having a diverse team is a better team and how a team of relative strangers, can come together and be successful.

    Stacey Slater, Clipper Logistics
  • The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge is exactly what it says on the tin, a day for logistics professionals to be reminded of the importance of diversity going forward, all while being challenged physically and mentally!

    Rebecca Wild, Clipper Logistics
  • Fab day out the office with a fantastic message and promotion of inclusivity for all. Great opportunity to get to know my work colleagues on a personal level and work together as a team understanding each others strenghts and weaknesses.

    Emma Hope, Microlise
  • Excellent day out and team building which is actually fun! I was working with people I didn't know from work and I can't think of another task or activity we could have done that would have made us gel together as quickly as this. It was fun and everyone wanted to get stuck in and work as a team.

    Michelle Warner, Yusen Logistics
  • Great day out, worthwhile to enjoy meeting new people and trying out new activities you may otherwise never try.

    Paul Bariana, Genesee & Wyoming
  • I loved the day. It was really exciting to spend time with my colleagues and get to know them away from our working environment. Thank you for organising this.

    Mim Hosseinpour, John Lewis
  • I surprised myself as much as the others at just how much I had to offer.

    Stewart Evans, Geodis
  • My first time attending - location, signage, welcome - supporting material - facilities - presenters, support functions, staff you should be applauded - lovely way to promote Diversity and inclusion - the weather certainly attributed to a great day - good balance of mind and interactive activities as well as physical and therefore catering for all abilities - thank you - see you next year

    Sean Walters, Yusen Logistics
  • Overall, it was a fantastic day and I will take the experience to the grave. Really enjoyed it... I would highly recommend.

    Gavin Vickers, Woodland Group
  • Promoting inclusivity in a positive fun friendly environment and be prepared to let yourself go and try new things and start a conversation with new people. Get stuck in!!!

    Anthony Leadbitter, DSV Solutions
  • Such a fantastic day packed with positive energy! It was really well organised with just enough healthy competition! I'd love to attend next year but think I've talked about it so much, my other colleagues might be trying their hardest to secure a spot in my place!

    Lisa-Sian Eagles, Kuehne-Nagel
  • The Big Logistics Diversity Challenge is an amazing event to take part in. It promotes diversity within logistics and your workplace. The event is well organised and the challenges are varied ensuring that there is something for everyone no matter what your ability. I found the day to be an amazing experience, full of fun and laughter. It was a great team building event, as the challenges drove collaboration, empowered you to try your best and support each team member along the way. I would recommend this event to anyone.

    Janine Cashmore, Kuehne+Nagel
  • The event was organised very well, it's a place to meet new people and network with other companies, such a fantastic experience no matter your age or gender or abilities.

    Darran Brown, DHL
  • This is a really is a great way for our teams to get together and learn about the importance of DE&I whilst having loads of fun at the same time.

    Marilyn Mace, Yusen Logistics (UK) Ltd