By Dr Marina Papaioannou, DNV Regional Maritime Academies Manager
Shipping has always been an industry of endurance, built on discipline and hierarchy. Qualities that have sustained the industry and global trade for centuries. But the landscape is changing, turbulent times and challenges make it essential that we redefine the very essence of our business with emotional intelligence, purpose, trust and the ability to lead people through complexity and uncertainty.
For decades, leadership in shipping has been associated with rank and authority, toughness, command, accountability and decisiveness. Although, these characteristics are still valid and certainly important, true leadership should not be exercised through position, but through credibility, consistency, integrity, and presence.
Above all, it is about leaders who cultivate trust and create the environment where people feel valued and comfortable to speak up, report risks and unfit behaviours, and act with responsibility enhancing safety culture, operational excellence and performance.
Crews onboard and teams ashore respond not only to competence, but to leaders who listen, who explain the “why,” and who lead with fairness even under pressure.
Leadership in shipping is often connected with difficult decisions under pressure and demanding conditions when the margin for mistakes is close to zero, since consequences can often be devastating. What makes a strong leader is the response to such situations. The ability to exercise calm judgment, to make difficult calls and the sensibility to ask for feedback. One of the most valued achievements of an inspiring leader is the creation of a team that can challenge assumptions and contribute different perspectives.
Shipping brings together different nationalities, languages, and cultures more than any other industry around the world. Therefore, empathy is essential for multicultural leadership and not only. Considering human risks, such as fatigue, mental health and crew wellbeing, is the only way to lead people in a safe and inclusive way. It is small actions like recognition, respect and clear communication that promote good performance and have a great impact on morale especially onboard where people are quite isolated and away from home and families for large periods of time.
The shipping industry is undergoing a period of intense transformation. Digitalization, decarbonization, regulatory evolution, the use of AI and the discussions on unmanned vessels are reshaping how ships are built, operated, and managed.
But technology alone, however, does not drive change—people do.
And leadership during such transformative times requires vision and patience. It requires leaders who give a clear direction while acknowledging uncertainty. Resistance to change is natural human characteristic, especially in an industry rooted in tradition. Inspirational leaders bridge the gap between the past and the future, by honouring experience while embracing innovation.
They invest in learning, encourage adaptability, and empower teams to grow alongside the industry in a sustainable way.
Environmental regulation, digital transformation, and shifting workforce expectations are redefining the future of maritime operations. And what better time than now to expand the traditional pool of workforce and attract new talent to where essential qualities such as sensitivity, empathy, integrating analysis with intuition and logic with awareness.
The presence of women in shipping leadership foster leading with clarity, empathy, and conviction. Female leaders, many of whom have had to balance professional ambition with personal responsibility, bring heightened sensitivity to the realities faced by seafarers and shore-based teams alike.
Women leaders often emphasize long-term thinking—balancing commercial performance with ethical responsibility. And their legacy will be defined not by the barriers they broke but by the people they empowered.
Inclusive leadership recognizes talent beyond traditional profiles. It challenges outdated assumptions and opens pathways for the next generation—women and men alike—to envision a future in shipping where merit, capability, and character define success.
Leadership rooted in integrity does not seek recognition; it seeks sustainability. It understands that progress achieved without responsibility is fragile, and that true success is measured not only in profit, but in impact.
Looking into the future it is clear that the strongest vessels are guided by leaders who understand that leadership is not about being the loudest voice on the bridge, but about creating direction, trust, and purpose; that progress is powered not just by engines and innovation, but by trust, purpose, and humanity.
