Manuela started her career as an industrial clerk in a jewelry shop. Twenty-five years ago, she joined DB Schenker to explore the logistics involved in each imported and exported good. Now, she has a job that she loves.

“DB Schenker's international network means everything to me, even in my private life,” says Manuela, who is based in Germany. “No matter where I head for vacation—China, Spain, Finland, Singapore, etc.—I always take the time to meet with my local colleagues.”

These days, Manuela uses most of her annual leave to support the "Nepal Schulprojekt" charity organization, which provides support for Nepalese children. “I’ve seen a lot of despair over the years, when visiting kindergartens, schools, and homes for the handicapped,” says Manuela, who at one point helped to build a solar plant in Jalbang, a village in the Northwest of Nepal that previously had no electricity.

For one year, she collected money and organized the logistics behind this project, which meant every single component had to be transported by mule for 54 kilometers at an altitude of 3,800 meters. “Seeing the light from an electricity bulb for the first time in their life, people started to cry,” says Manuela.

To women around the world, Manuela cautions against striving for perfection. “Just put yourself in the driver's seat,” she says. “Don't wait until you are asked to be promoted to a new job; just apply. You are worth it!"