WISTA-International president Despina Panayiotou-Theodosiou
WISTA International Promotes Pledge For Inclusion of Women in the Shipping Industry
“Embracing diversity and inclusion is a business decision that no leader in today’s global and competitive marketplace can ignore. Leaders who encourage diversity of thought, including gender, age, race, and ethnicity, know that their teams benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives, which drive innovation and change,” said WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou. “We geared this pledge to individuals, for we feel strongly that individuals have the power to bring about change.”
In 2018, WISTA International appointed a Diversity Committee to focus on practical solutions to increase opportunities for gender diversity in the maritime industry. Writing a pledge to challenge the community to advance diversity and inclusion was a mandate of the committee.
WISTA International is a global networking organization for female managers in the shipping industry, with more than 3,000 members worldwide, and 45 National WISTA Associations (NWAs). WISTA members represent nearly every facet of the industry, including ship owners and ship operators, mariners, logistics and port executives, maritime technology experts, legal and finance professionals, regulatory professionals, engineers, academics, service providers, suppliers, and government employees. WISTA was approved for consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2018, providing the organization with a formal voice for supporting IMO work in a variety of areas. WISTA works with a wide variety of global maritime and governmental bodies to support professional development, opportunities and networking for female executives in the maritime industry.
