It’s only fitting that the Distributor Woman of Distinction Shamini Peter, COO of Axis Promotions (asi/128263), credits three women with being her strongest influencers. One is her mom: “My siblings and I are successful because we’ve received the business acumen and courage to push the envelope from her.” Another is Axis VP of Sales Lisa Pine: “She is someone that I’ve looked up to as a strong and courageous woman.” And the third is Axis partner & EVP Joan Bluestone Landorf: “Joan’s the voice of reason for me.”

Landorf knew right from the start that Peter was special when she interviewed her for a job at Axis 10 years ago. “What’s so important is she’s been able to set very good processes and procedures at Axis in an area that’s complicated,” Landorf says. “She’s been able to gain the trust and respect of all of her colleagues. That’s what defines a good leader.”

The road that led Peter to Axis was quite long in the geographical sense. Peter has the unique distinction of having lived on four continents (born in England, raised in Malaysia and attended college in Australia). She moved to New York in 2000, working in freight forwarding, and learned everything about logistics, importing and customs. She next worked at a manufacturing firm as a supply chain manager. In December 2006, Peter had her daughter and stopped working in May of 2007 to be a stay-at-home mom. “But after two months,” Peter says, “my husband came home one day and said I needed to get a job because I was driving him insane.”

As fate would have it, Peter answered a Craigslist ad for part-time work at Axis in August 2007 to manage importing and custom projects. It was around this time that product safety issues within the industry started to become an important topic. “Shamini really started the compliance department for us and became a major factor in making sure we were following the correct laws, policies and procedures,” says Landorf.

Like every project Peter’s involved in, she made it a point to understand all aspects of the subject matter. “I want to be knowledgeable in any field that I’m in because it builds the confidence you need to speak on the topic that you’re dealing with,” Peter says. “I made it my mission to be good at that.” So good, in fact, that safety and compliance are now ingrained in the culture of the company.

“She’s smart and a quick thinker, and she’s able to collaborate with people and get their point of view, so she’s a consensus builder,” says Landorf. “What separates her from Larry (Cohen, Axis’ president) and me, is while we might have great ideas, Shamini knows how to make them happen. She understands strategy and execution.”

Adds Landorf: “Shamini’s the perfect trifecta: she’s smart, kind and beautiful.”