Women at DP World in Australia

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Women at DP World in Australia

Date: 12/03/2021

"Seeing female leaders around you makes you feel more comfortable, positive, and helps you see what's possible."
- Anastasia Indrodjojo, Receptionist at DP World in Australia

To coincide with International Women’s Day 2021, we're shining a spotlight on women at DP World Australia to help dispel myths about our industry, share their working experiences, and discuss gender equality. Read our interview with Anastasia Indrodjojo as she discusses what it's like to work at DP World.

As a woman in a male-dominated industry have you had to overcome any challenges? Anastasia: Fortunately, I haven’t had to overcome many challenges. I work at DP World’s head office and the gender split is pretty equal between men and women. At DP World’s terminals, if you work as a female stevedore it may be more challenging as there are many more males working on the wharves.
What's a little-known fact about you? Anastasia: I love to cook. I cook the food I miss from back home in Jakarta in Indonesia. I moved to Australia when I was 16. Indonesian street food like ‘Tahu isi’ which are deep-fried stuffed tofu with vegetables and minced chicken. There are certain things that aren’t easy to buy here without a long trip to a specific store.
What is the most annoying stereotype about women you have dealt with in your career?

Anastasia: Being underestimated. In Asian culture, in particular, there’s the expectation that women will do everything at home, and working women have to do all the work at home and have a career.

I haven’t experienced much inequality in my working life in Australia, though.
What will be the biggest challenge for the younger generation of women in the workforce?

Anastasia: Entering the workforce for the first time is always difficult, no matter the generation.

The issue we have in logistics is that people don’t understand what we do, or the types of roles on offer in our industry. If we don’t make an effort to teach and educate those around us now, we won’t have a younger generation of women joining us. The biggest challenge we have is right now; how do we raise awareness.

How could our industry increase inclusivity, especially for women in frontline and/or leadership roles?

Anastasia: It would be great to see a dedicated program to encourage women who are already within the industry, and to help them in their roles.

DP World has a mentoring program for women which sounds great.

Have you always known what you wanted to achieve in your career?

Anastasia: My background has always been in customer service. I like to work with people. I used to work in hospitality and joined DP World first through helping out in the accounts team, but I much prefer the interaction of this role.

We’ve come a long way since I started almost ten years ago. We have more women in leadership around, which is inspiring. Seeing all these female leaders make you feel more comfortable and positive, and it helps you see that it’s possible to rise into these positions.