A woman from Edgware has been celebrated by Amazon on International Women’s Day as part of a UK-wide celebration held by the corporate office of the online retail giant in London.
Amazon in the UK is currently celebrating the dynamic range of women working across its network.
Lavishka Katwa, from Edgware in Harrow, is one of those women.
Lavishka works across various Amazon sites in Central London as a Senior Regional Manager and prior to joining Amazon, she ran a non-profit social mobility programme to support low-income first-generation students in the UK to study in the United States.
Lavishka’s role at Amazon involves overseeing six Amazon Logistics sites within Central London, where she interacts with various teams to ensure the smooth running of the sites.
Speaking on working at Amazon, Lavishka said: “I thoroughly enjoy my role at Amazon as I am passionate about people and there are many opportunities to work collaboratively and meet interesting individuals who support one another.”
Not only is Lavishka passionate about her role, but she is an advocate for women in leadership at Amazon, bringing their ‘Women in Leadership’ programme to Amazon Logistics in the UK and Ireland.
Speaking on this, Lavishka said: “I saw the Women in Leadership programme happening in different business lines across Europe and felt it was important to introduce this to Amazon Logistics in the UK and Ireland.
“I brought the programme to the UK and Ireland in the wake of COVID-19 as I thought it would give women the opportunity to learn and build a network of support in a challenging time. I want women to feel supported and to use the Women in Leadership programme as a resource that they can call on.
“In October 2022, I brought 25 female leaders from Amazon Logistics for a two-day event to take part in workshops, discuss challenges and listen to guest speakers.”
She added: “Due to the huge success of this event, we are now looking at making this a quarterly occurrence in order to build our support network for women at Amazon.”
Speaking on what advice she would give to a woman considering a career in her field, Lavishka said: “Working at Amazon Logistics offers many fantastic opportunities. Warehouse environments have traditionally been associated with predominantly male workers, however, Amazon presents a very strong network of female leaders alongside a welcoming and inclusive culture.”
When asked why she felt International Women’s Day was important, Lavishka said: “We have a lot of work to do as a society to remove barriers faced by women. We have made major strides over the years, but we have not yet reached a fully equitable society, therefore it is so important to continue raising awareness and celebrating the women in our lives, work and society.”
Shiona Rolfe, President of, UK Women in Operations Board, said: “We are proud to have Lavishka as part of the team at Amazon in London. She is an example to all of us of what true workplace connection and leadership looks like and we’re thankful to her for her efforts.
“International Women’s Day encourages us to celebrate stories like Lavishka’s, inspiring us to continuing embracing equity for the good of all Amazon employees in London and across the UK.”
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Amazon is hosting a series of events, activities and programmes designed to promote and support this year’s theme, which is #EmbraceEquity.
Celebrations will take place throughout the month of March, kicking off yesterday (6 March) with Amazon’s annual International Women’s Day Festival.
