Constellation Co-Hosts Third Women in Cold Chain Event in Leeds

“By embedding diversity and inclusion into how we operate across Constellation, we attract and retain brilliant people. That translates directly into the service we provide: we know motivated, engaged teams feel empowered to deliver reliability, flexibility, and most importantly great value to our customers.”

– Nikki Jacobi, Group People & Communications Director, Constellation

This summer, Constellation Cold Logistics co-hosted the third Women in Cold Chain (WiCC) event in Leeds – bringing together more than 60 professionals from across the sector for a day of discussion, learning, and collaboration.

For Constellation, supporting WiCC is about more than sponsorship. It reflects our values in action: Trust, Excellence, Entrepreneurship, and One Team. 

• Trust grows when colleagues feel supported and confident to contribute. 
• Excellence is achieved when we draw on a wide range of perspectives and experiences to solve challenges. 
• Entrepreneurship is strengthened when people feel empowered to take initiative and lead change. 
• Working as One Team ensures everyone has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of role, background, or gender.

By creating workplaces where women can grow and thrive, we strengthen our ability to deliver reliable, innovative, and customer-focused solutions. Events like WiCC show how living our values day-to-day directly enhances the quality of service we provide to customers across Europe.

Championing change through collaboration

The event featured thought-provoking talks from leaders at the Co-op, Oakland International, Tek Freight, Dawsongroup, and Star Refrigeration. Our Group People & Communications Director, Nikki Jacobi, shared how businesses can attract, nurture, and develop female talent in the cold chain.

These conversations reflect our commitment to Excellence – striving to go above and beyond by improving how we bring talent into our industry. By ensuring a broader mix of perspectives and skills, we are better equipped to anticipate the needs of complex customers like Royal Greenland, adapting quickly to challenges, and delivering consistently high-quality service across Europe.

We also welcomed Shireen Ali Khan from Women in Transport, who led a powerful session on unconscious bias. For Constellation, tackling bias is part of living our value of Trust – creating environments where every team member can contribute with confidence.

Importantly, WiCC thrives with the support of allies. We were delighted that Kevin Ryder and Ben Price joined from Constellation UK, demonstrating the value of One Team in action. Just as we partner closely with customers to co-create solutions, progress in diversity and inclusion requires collaboration across the whole business.

The Leeds event was expertly organised by Fiona Hamilton (Regional Transport Manager) and Vicky Stonehouse (Head of HR, UK & Ireland). Their leadership shows how Entrepreneurship comes to life – taking the initiative to deliver something impactful that strengthens both our culture and our customer offer.

By embedding diversity and inclusion into how we operate, we attract and retain brilliant people. That translates directly into the service we provide: motivated, engaged teams who are empowered to deliver reliability, flexibility, and value to customers.

Inclusion in action

The day closed with a cocktail-making session – a reminder that inclusion also means building connections and enjoying time together. Shared experiences like this strengthen our sense of One Team and make us more resilient when we return to our daily work.

At Constellation, we know that initiatives like WiCC are not one-off events. They are part of Constellation’s long-term vision: to deliver cold logistics excellence with local market expertise throughout Europe. Alongside WiCC, we are proud to have taken part in the Big Logistics Diversity Challenge – a national event that unites logistics companies to champion inclusion through team activities, collaboration, and shared best practice.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate our wider commitment to building an industry that is more inclusive, more representative, and better equipped to serve customers. By living our values of Trust, Excellence, Entrepreneurship, and One Team, we build a culture that attracts diverse talent, strengthens our business, and ensures we remain the cold-chain partner our customers trust.

Contact us.