Logistics professionals can nominate themselves or their colleagues in three categories, while a fourth award will recognise the company doing the most to advance the cause of women in the industry

Entries must be submitted by April 22 to be in with a chance of winning Young Woman of the Year, which recognises under 30s with potential, Diversity Champion, which honours individual efforts to promote equality, and Leader of the Year, which will crown the role model with the most remarkable achievements over the last 12 months.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of industry veterans led by Richard Wilding, Professor of Supply Chain Strategy at Cranfield School of Management, and honoured at a glittering prize-giving ceremony on June 17 in Solihull. The festivities will be capped by a glamorous charity ball.

The annual awards and charity ball are organised by Women in Logistics, which was established in 2008 to increase the number of women in the industry, improve life for those women already working in logistics and to address the gender imbalance issue.

Vice chair Melanie Longman said: "It has been a great year for our organisation. We have increased membership beyond 4,000 and expanded our steering group.

"These annual awards allow the industry as a whole to celebrate the work being done to support women working in the logistics sector and to highlight the individuals whose work stands out above all others. It's a great honour to be able to recognise the best of the best in this way."

The awards and charity ball will operate in support of Transaid, for which Women in Logistics has raised over £35,000 since 2008. Transaid tackles poverty and disadvantage by building transport skills and knowledge to the developing world.

Full list of categories:

• Young Woman of the Year Award, sponsored by Kuehne + Nagel
• Company of the Year Award, sponsored by IMHX
• Diversity Champion of the Year Award, sponsored by The Forton Group
• Leader of the Year Award, sponsored by Tarmac

To find out more about the awards, submit a nomination or to enquire about tickets, visit www.womeninlogistics.org.uk or enter online at http://bit.ly/WILawardsNominations2016