Women Make It Happen: Leadership and Excellence in Philippine Logistics
Logistics carries a reputation as a man’s industry — trucks, warehouses, ports, and the assumption that the people running them look a certain way. Airspeed has spent four decades quietly proving otherwise. The company was founded by a woman, is chaired by a woman today, and counts women among the leaders of its operations, commercial, and corporate functions.
Every March, International Women’s Month invites companies to celebrate this. The more useful exercise is to examine what women-led leadership actually produces.
It Starts at the Top
Airspeed was founded by Rosemarie Rafael, who continues to serve as its Chairperson. That fact shapes more than the organizational chart. A company built by an entrepreneur who had to make her own room in a male-dominated field tends to make room for others — and the result is visible across the business, in operations, customs brokerage, branch management, and corporate leadership alike.
It is worth being precise about why this matters commercially, not only culturally. Industries that draw leadership from a wider pool make better decisions, because more perspectives reach the table before a choice is made. In logistics, where the work is a continuous exercise in solving problems nobody anticipated, that is a competitive advantage rather than a nicety.
Leading the National Conversation
In March 2026, Chairperson Rafael took that experience to two national stages. At the Italian Chamber’s Women Lead 2026 conference at Dusit Thani Manila, she spoke on being young and fearless — a message aimed squarely at women early in careers where they may be the only woman in the room.
Weeks later, she joined the Go Negosyo Women Summit 2026 for a keynote panel on Filipinas in a growing ASEAN economy, sharing a stage with other trailblazing Filipina leaders. The theme running through both appearances was the same: when women lead with purpose, they do not simply build businesses. They transform communities.
Turning Leadership Into Access
That claim is easy to make and harder to demonstrate. Airspeed’s answer is its SME Program, and the clearest illustration came in Misamis Oriental.
Partnering with the Department of Trade and Industry’s provincial office, Airspeed welcomed local MSMEs to an Export Readiness Seminar covering export opportunities, logistics, compliance, and the fundamentals of international trade. The Airspeed delegation was led by VP for Corporate Affairs and Communications Thesa Castrojas-Galang, joined by Customs Brokerage Head Marvin Avecilla and Cagayan de Oro Branch Head Lindon Aguilar.
The choice of subject matter is telling. Provincial entrepreneurs rarely lack ambition or product quality; what they lack is a working understanding of customs clearance, documentation, and freight — the practical machinery of getting goods across a border. Teaching that, rather than simply selling services, is what turns leadership into access. Businesses preparing for a first international shipment can start with our guide to international freight forwarding.
Excellence, Measured
Values are best judged against results. In the same month, Airspeed received the Cebu Pacific Cargo Eagle Wings Award and, from Philippine Airlines Cargo, Gold for Domestic and Bronze for International performance.
Airline cargo awards are not ceremonial. They reflect measurable operational performance across a full year — volume, reliability, and the strength of the partnerships that keep air freight moving on schedule. They are, in short, evidence that a company led by women is also a company that performs.
Partner with a Company That Makes It Happen
Behind every shipment Airspeed moves is a team, and behind that team is leadership committed to excellence, opportunity, and community. Request a quote or email [email protected] — and let Airspeed make it happen for your business.
