In this edition Inside ALFA, we highlight Stefanie Leber of NVD Asia Logistics, China, whose dedication and people-first mindset have made her a valued member of our community. Recently awarded ALFA’s 2025 Female Forwarder of the Year in Vietnam, Stefanie stands out for her authenticity, strength, and sincere passion for forwarding.
We’d love to hear your story – how did you get started in the logistics world, and what motivated you to stay?
I never really had any touchpoints with logistics, and during my school years, I also had no clear idea of what kind of job I wanted after graduation. For me, it was crystal clear that I didn’t want to study or spend several years at university. Instead, I wanted to do an apprenticeship and start working and earning money as soon as possible. I always believed that building a successful career doesn’t necessarily depend on a degree, but equally on hard work and passion. Through a recommendation from my (now) brother-in-law, I somehow ended up looking for an apprenticeship in logistics—and as we all know, “once you’re in, you’re in.”
Being a forwarding agent offers a challenging yet very diverse job that’s never boring. Every day brings new challenges, but also many success stories, and it allows you to connect with many different, but truly great, people.
What do you see as the biggest challenge in logistics today, and how do you think the industry is handling it?
Forwarding used to be a people’s business, where personal and long-term business relationships truly mattered. Global enterprises mainly focused on large customers, and small to medium-sized forwarders still had a wide field of potential clients to work with. In the meantime, 3PLs and even carriers have started targeting small and mid-sized customers—something they were never interested in before. Customers are now focusing more on cheap rates than on service. As a result, the market has become far more competitive and challenging, and customers tend to forget the advantages of experienced and dedicated smaller forwarding partners—at least until they run into service issues with the big ones. The value of experienced and capable partners is being recognized less, and this is something that really needs to change again.
What unique strengths do you believe women bring to the logistics field, and how have you seen these strengths play out in your work environment?
Women often have a different approach to work. We might appear a bit less loud compared to our male colleagues, but we usually think things through before taking action. I’ve also noticed far less ostentation between female colleagues, whereas throughout my career I’ve seen “silverback” behavior quite often among male counterparts.
What advice would you give to young women considering a career in logistics, especially those who may feel intimidated by its traditionally male environment?
Don’t be afraid! Women can achieve the same success in logistics as men. You just have to be open, a bit cheeky, and you should never allow men to intimidate you. Be good at your job, and don’t be shy to show it.
You’ve been with us for a few years now – how has the journey been so far? Any highlights or surprises?
We have been part of the Alfa network for almost three years now and have already joined three conferences. It is always a pleasure to meet new people, learn about their activities, and stay connected with those you already know.
We’ve also started doing some business with partners and hope to expand these collaborations in the future.
What continues to surprise me, however, is that a few companies don’t seem to engage with the network for the purpose of networking. During my travels across different European countries, I reached out to several members for potential meetings, yet some didn’t reply at all—not even a brief “we are not interested.” The same happens occasionally after conferences: some attendees don’t respond to follow-up emails or meeting summaries. There are even situations where people don’t show up to scheduled meetings and don’t offer any explanation or apology afterward.
These experiences sometimes make me wonder about the true meaning of networking. But perhaps I’m a little old-fashioned in that sense—who knows?
If you had to describe this network to a new contact or colleague in one sentence, what would you say?
A diverse, global family made up of people from many different places around the world, with great potential for building new friendships.
What’s one resource or feature within the network you think more members should take advantage of?
I would recommend using the member directory more and contacting people directly, rather than placing random inquiries in the WhatsApp group.
If you had to describe your logistics journey using a movie title, what would it be and why?
A movie title for my logistics journey? I’m really not sure. Some days, logistics feels like “Dumb and Dumber,” while on other days it feels like an endless adventure straight out of “The Lord of the Rings.” And when life in logistics gets a bit too crazy, I sometimes wish I could be the cameraman for “Animals Are Beautiful People,” just to be out in nature. In a way, I actually do that during my private escapes on vacation, when I fully disconnect and focus completely on nature and animals.
Thank you, Stefanie, for your inspiring voice—and congratulations once again on your well-deserved award.