foodpanda, the leading e-commerce platform, on account of Women’s Day, handed over e-bikes to its female riders. The company celebrated its female employees, vendor partners, riders, and homechefs in an event in which Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal was invited as the Chief Guest. She handed over the bikes to female riders along with Muntaqa Peracha, interim CEO foodpanda, and Hassan Arshad, Principal Policy and Communication foodpanda.
The event celebrated women in foodpanda who are breaking the bias by opting for diverse income opportunities and becoming self-sufficient. The event showcased inspiring talks by not just the Chief Guest, but female employees, riders, and homechefs as well.
Caly Zehra Ispahani who is heading the B2B Solutions at foodpanda shared her story of how throughout her professional life she broke numerous biases to progress in her career. She has been revered and known for her powerful commercial and project management experience where she helped generate value through meaningful business opportunities. Besides breaking the glass ceiling throughout her career, she is a mother of two girls and has managed to strike the fine balance between a thriving career and a happy home life.
Ilsa Aleem, the Operations Cluster Lead – North for pandamart, is another role model who opted for an operational role and excelled in it as well. Breaking the bias, Ilsa joined pandamart in March 2021 as the First Female Warehouse Manager and was one of the pioneers in Islamabad Launch. She was also a part of the Lahore launch and has contributed to streamlining and digitizing on-ground operations. In her current role, she is leading pandamart operations in the Twin Cities and is keen to continue adding value and be an inspiration for other young females in the organization.
Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal also shared her inspiring story and reflected how it has always been difficult for women to choose a different course of action when it comes to professional and personal life. She said that in every era there have been numerous biases that stop women from progressing, but women have always stood firm and faced the challenges head-on. She urged women to never give up as it is never too late to pursue their dreams. She commended foodpanda employees, vendors, riders and homechef for taking control of their life and supporting other women to do the same.
The event entailed panel discussions where female riders, homechefs and vendors also shared their stories. Parents of some female employees were also invited to stage who shared their experience on how they have always supported their daughters and would encourage other parents to do the same.
