Evri HR chief takes the wheel to champion female drivers

While 30% of Evri’s couriers are women, the number of female HGV, LGV and van drivers is currently at around 3%, just above the industry average. 

Lyn Warren, Evri chief human resources officer, is spearheading the company’s efforts to close this gap and is leading by example by training for her own CAT C licence, to demonstrate Evri’s commitment to inspiring other women to consider this career path.

Evri’s announcement comes during National Apprenticeship Week. The company will be using the week to highlight its commitment to apprenticeships and attract new talent into the logistics industry.

Evri will launch several initiatives to attract and retain female drivers. These include the launch of a new recruitment and communications campaign to raise awareness and champion female drivers, as well as providing more information on becoming a trainee driver, which will include experienced female drivers telling their stories.

The company is also creating listening groups with existing female drivers, to understand how Evri can make its workplace a more inclusive environment. Evri wants to ensure that when attracting new drivers, they are retained, and their experience is a positive one.

In addition a mentoring programme has been created made up of existing experienced female drivers who can support new entrants.  

Evri has dedicated Driving Academy facilities across the UK, including Wakefield and Hemel Hempstead, where a pipeline of future LGV drivers are given the training required to achieve their CAT C or to progress to CAT C+E licence. Evri funds this training for both internal and newly recruited colleagues.

Lyn Warren (pictured left, with Evri driver Jayne Ellam) is mid-way through her training and hopes to pass this year. She said: “I’m passionate about creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of background or gender, can thrive. The logistics industry has traditionally been male dominated, but I believe women have the talent and skillset to excel in this field.

”We’re removing barriers and creating opportunities for women to join our team, and I’m confident that we can make Evri a place where they can reach their full potential.”

Martijn De Lange, Evri chief executive, added: ”We know that a diverse workforce is a strong workforce. By creating a more inclusive workplace, we can attract and retain the best talent and build a more successful business. We’re committed to making Evri a place where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of who they are.”

Hayley Stocks (pictured above) is an LGV driver who was formerly a dental nurse for ten years, before she decided to change careers in 2020. She commented: “I haven’t looked back since. Being an LGV driver gives you more freedom and life choices than my previous job, you can choose the hours, shifts and type of work you prefer.

”The Driving Academy team were brilliant. They made me feel at ease from day one. Since I’ve passed my C+E with the Driving Academy, it has opened more doors for my career, given me more responsibility within my place of work and the knowledge I will most likely never be out of a job. And to top it off, the training course test was paid for by Evri and no expense to myself.”

Evri’s commitment to gender equality extends beyond HGV drivers. The company is also working to increase the representation of women in other traditionally male-dominated roles in our operation. Evri’s latest Gender Pay Gap report, published in 2024, shows that it has increased the number of women in leadership roles, has a mean gender pay gap of 2.5%, well below the UK’s mean gender pay gap at 8.3%, and a higher percentage of women than men achieved a bonus in 2023.

According to data published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, the percentage of women taking a LGV CPC practical test increased from 4.6% in 2021-22 to 5.4% in 2022-23 up to 6.4% in 2023-24 so far.

Evri said it hopes to see this increase at a faster rate. More than 200 apprentices and trainee drivers have gone through Evri’s driving academy in the last two years.

Aspiring drivers can find out more and apply at: www.evri.com/driver-academy