WISTA & BIMCO Team Up to Promote Diversity in Maritime Industry

• BIMCO and WISTA International entered into an MoU to advance diversity and sustainability within shipping
• The partnership seeks to have more opportunities for maritime professionals

WISTA International and BIMCO, which represents 64 percent of world tonnage and is an international trade association, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration on diversity, sustainability and professional excellence in the maritime industry.

Through the collaboration, WISTA and BIMCO will assess cross-sector issues that both organizations can work on in support of professionals in the global shipping and maritime community.

The MoU establishes cooperation between the two organizations in research, data sharing and professional development. These organizations will undertake joint research, sharing of information, and development projects in the delivery of maritime competency and knowledge.

According to Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, the agreement evidences mutual commitment to establish a more sustainable and inclusive industry.

“Coming together with BIMCO will further help us accelerate knowledge sharing, professional development, and mutual advancement in career centric practices throughout the industry”, she said.

BIMCO is working on standardisation and transparency - which aligns with WISTA's initiative to support inclusivity - and both organizations come together to collaborate and support initiatives to make the maritime sector stronger and future proof.

Furthermore, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and WISTA International have upgraded the Maritime Speaker Bureau, to increase visibility of women professionals in the maritime sector.

The new platform now allows for peer recommendations and proposals, allowing event organizers to source and network with women speakers around the world.

It is hoped that these new features will help to create more balance and credibility on speaker’s panels, therefore improving the quality and equity of diversity in the context of maritime events around the globe.

Since its inception, the Speaker Bureau has responded to more than 180 inquiries and is now featuring nearly 450 female speakers.

Each speaker's bio also notes their geographical areas of expertise and availability to allow organisers identify speakers for topics in decarbonisation, digital transformation, regulation, and leadership.

Elpi says the updated platform "is a helpful tool to deliver better representation and access to maritime events, in a way that enables organisers to easily access qualified women speakers who are able to contribute their insights into key industry discussions."