NUEVO VALLARTA, NAY.- The intermodal transportation industry in Mexico has made progress in gender equality , although just over a decade ago the majority of jobs were held by men, as was or still is the case in other sectors.
Hoshi Jurado , AVP Intermodal at Grupo México Transportes (GMXT) , acknowledged that when he joined the intermodal transportation industry 13 years ago, he thought: “Wow, this is like a mechanic’s shop . ”
Jurado has been a clear example of the integration and advancement of women in intermodal transportation , but she has also become a conduit for more of her peers to occupy positions in this sector.
During her participation in the panel Women in the Intermodal Industry , held at the XXVI Intermodal Congress 2025, organized by the Mexican Association of Intermodal Transport (AMTI) , she proudly emphasized that most of the team she currently leads has a balance tilted towards women .
“Not just for quotas. We don’t have to be a number; women have to be taken into account for their knowledge and abilities (…) the intermodal industry is driven by women,” she stated.
Linda Hernández has been working in the railroad industry for 17 years , although it wasn’t her first career choice when she was younger. Now, as Intermodal Sales Director at Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) in Mexico , she acknowledged that the sector has provided her with stability and renewal.
But these characteristics have not come by themselves; his time in the steel industry has provided him with mentors who “have been spectacular,” he stated during his participation in the panel. However, he also indicated that he has had to make sacrifices in his growth , although the key here is to maintain constant communication with companies to find areas of flexibility and support.
Linda is clear about her goal of supporting women in the railway sector, which is why, since February 2022, she has been the representative in Mexico of the League of Railway Women (LRW) , which promotes the careers of its members (around three thousand professionals) with scholarships or mentoring programs.
“If a woman grows, educates herself, and develops, she will surely have an impact on the companies where she works,” she said.
In the case of Vianey de la Mora , current general director of the Mexican Association of Railways (AMF) , her passion was not trains but the arts, although her career led her towards the railway sector in the construction and engineering projects area, but as she herself said, “everything happens for a reason.”
The industry leader asserted that companies have become more flexible to accommodate more women, although they have faced various obstacles that have made them “tougher-skinned . “
“It would be ideal to overcome the barrier of equity by that of capabilities,” he shared with attendees at the 26th Intermodal Congress 2025.
For her part, Paloma Burnell , Senior Vice President of Sales Operations at STG Logistics , recalled that a few years ago at the same company where she works, in a meeting with 22 executives only two participants were women , a reality that has been changing over time.
“We must be aware of the development of women’s leadership. The most important thing is to have a growth mindset, be curious, and keep exploring,” she said.
The panelists asserted that there will be more women in the intermodal transportation industry in the future, a step that can only be achieved with the empathy of all participants, in a world that still prioritizes the allocation of positions among men, a trend that must be eradicated .
