IPAF Women in Powered Access breakfast highlights key issues

The 2026 IPAF Women in Powered Access breakfast.

IPAF held its annual Women in Powered Access breakfast at APEX, during the APEX exhibition in Maastricht.

The event was attended by women across the access industry and hosted by Paola Palazzani, president of spider manufacturer Palazzani and Julie Houston-Smyth, managing director at distributor Lolex. Between them the pair asked a range of questions to Vicki Allen and her daughter Jade, who between them run the UK’s new and used powered access marketplace International Platforms.

Jade Allen.

Ahead of the question and answer session IPAF’s new president Kai Schliephake, managing director of PartnerLift, shared his support for the federation’s Women in Powered Access initiative. It was followed by Carole Bachmann, secretary general of the European Rental Association (ERA), who highlighted the association’s new Women in Rental initiative, which was launched during the International Rental Exhibition (IRE), co-located with APEX at the MECC venue.

Vicki and Jade reminded attendees that the powered access industry has long been dominated by men. “For decades the sector has been shaped by male engineers, male sales teams and male depot managers. But today more women than ever are stepping into roles across sales, operations, logistics and leadership.”

Vicki, who has spent more than 20 years building a respected career in powered access, added, “My early career was mostly admin, but everything changed when I briefly worked with someone who later joined one of the main manufacturers, Genie. That connection opened the door to powered access and from the moment I stepped into the industry, I was hooked.

Vicki Allen.

Jade, who grew up watching the industry from the sidelines before unexpectedly joining it herself, commented, “Growing up, powered access was the last thing I imagined myself doing. My passion was horses. I imagined a future working outdoors with animals rather than people, not selling MEWPs or negotiating transport loads.”

Improving the industry 

But as Jade went on to say, life has a funny way of redirecting you and sometimes the path you resist becomes the one you thrive in. “It’s not an easy world, but discrimination is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Still, you need to be on top of your game and keep your wits about you. Be tough‑skinned and try not to take things personally, even though that’s easier said than done.”

Vicki added that the industry is improving, but it will always be predominantly male. “Men can be crude, rude, sexist, and derogatory. Sometimes they don’t mean anything by it, sometimes they do. You need internal strength, the ability to let things roll off your shoulders and the wisdom to know when to respond and when to walk away. These skills are essential if you want to thrive in the powered access industry.”

Carole Bachmann.

And in a combined conclusion the two said, “Powered access may be a man’s world, but women belong here, too. Not by accident, not by exception, but because they’ve earned their place, proved their worth and built careers defined by resilience, knowledge and determination.”

In Bachmann’s follow up address at the event, she said that the ERA sees challenges in attracting, retaining and developing talent.

“Are we really looking at all the talent pools available to us? Women are still underrepresented in many parts of our industry, even though we see strong examples in leadership roles, technical roles and across all areas of rental.

“It is not only about attracting people. It is also about making sure they stay. That means creating the right environment — sometimes very simple things, like the right facilities, the right equipment, or simply making sure people feel comfortable and included.”