How Nobody Plans to Work in Project Cargo — and Why That Has to Change

Ask the panelists at a Women in Breakbulk session hosted by The Heavy Lift Group how they got into the industry and not one will say it was the plan. A summer job at a brokerage firm. A university notice board offering work to anyone who spoke English. An internship at a Chinese shipyard that was the only opportunity available during the 2008 financial crisis. A job advertisement next to a Mitsubishi logo that turned out to have nothing to do with cars.

"I wanted to be an architect," said Ilse Rodewijk, CEO of AlbatrosDigital. "There was only one opportunity and that was going to a Chinese shipyard. I didn't want to go because it was very scary. And then I went and got hooked because shipyards are really, really cool."

That pattern, entry by accident followed by a career that never let go, ran through every introduction at the panel at Breakbulk Europe. Eight senior women from across the THLG network shared how they arrived in project logistics, why they stayed, and what the industry needs to do differently to attract the next generation.

Those accidental entry stories point to a real problem. Project cargo logistics is not a career young people grow up knowing exists. It does not appear on the shortlist when a 17-year-old is deciding between medicine, engineering and law. It is not taught in most schools. And the way it is talked about when it does come up, long hours, unpredictable schedules, relentless complexity, does nothing to help.

"When you listen to people talk about it, it's about the long hours, you cannot organize things," said Elisabeth Cosmatos, CEO of The Cosmatos Group, "who moderated the session. "There's a lot of noise, bad noise around it."

Its Sanjna Vardhan, assistant vice president at Procam Group, made the same point from her own experience. When she decided to move into logistics from an engineering background, her university friends were dismissive. Transport was not considered a serious career. Over 15 years, she has worked to change that perception, one conversation and one interview at a time.

"We need to change the narrative we are presenting in everyday life," she said. "Even when we are interviewing new candidates, we need to interview in such a way that they are driven by our passion to join the industry. You are in for a very good life."

It The gap starts earlier than the job interview, though. Rosy Malave, founder and commercial director of Nakama Worldwide Solutions, goes into schools to explain what the industry actually does. Her approach is direct: everything you are wearing, everything you see, came from somewhere else. 90% of it traveled by sea. Behind every vessel passing the coast is an industry that most people have never thought about.

"I think there is a gap still to be filled," she said. "The kids know they want to be a doctor or a professor. It's not that famous as a job."

It The THLG Next Gen initiative, announced at Breakbulk Europe, is one response to that gap. Built around showing young talent how project cargo business works from the inside, across different regions and business functions, it starts from the premise that the industry has to go out and find the next generation rather than wait to be discovered.

It The women on the panel are proof that once someone gets in and sees what the work actually involves, they rarely leave. The challenge is getting them in the door in the first place.

About This Series

This article was developed from a workshop hosted by the Women in Breakbulk Lounge during Breakbulk Europe.

Title: Next Generation Project Cargo: Mentorship and Future Readiness Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 Location: Women in Breakbulk Lounge, Breakbulk Europe, Rotterdam Ahoy Panelists: Beatriz Alvarado, Sales and Chartering Director, Kaleido Ideas and Logistics / Elisabeth Cosmatos, CEO, The Cosmatos Group / Ilse Rodewijk, CEO, AlbatrosDigital / Iris Müllejans, Managing Director, Rolf Riedl GmbH / Marianne Blechingberg, Managing Director, Oy Hacklin Logistics Ltd / Miriam Nagel, Business Development Manager, DEUFOL DÖHLE PROJECTS GMBH / Rosy Malave, Founder and Commercial Director, Nakama Worldwide Solutions / Sanjna Vardhan, Assistant Vice President, Procam Group Association: The Heavy Lift Group (THLG) Session URL: https://europe.breakbulk.com/agendas/event-agenda/next-generation-project-cargo-mentorship-and

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