Mintra Director joins the Maritime Speakers Bureau

“I am committed to promoting a culture of diversity and inclusivity within maritime and I’m delighted to be able to take part in this significant project. The success of the platform is a credit to the hard work and commitment of both the IMO and WISTA International in supporting women in the sector,”

Emmanolia Kolias, Channel Director, Mintra.

Mintra’s Channel Director and Board Member of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Cyprus (WISTA) Emmanolia Kolias has joined the Maritime Speakers Bureau launched by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The new speaker bureau aims to amplify diversity of voices in maritime by promoting leading female voices. The IMO and WISTA International aim to increase the number of women speakers in the industry as well as calling for women to inspire and educate.

Both organisations are passionate about ensuring that maritime events represent the full scope of thought within the industry, which is only made possible through diverse representation. The speaker bureau platform is expected to support the ending of a tradition of male dominated speaking panels. The platform is free and easy to use for all organisers.

“I am committed to promoting a culture of diversity and inclusivity within maritime and I’m delighted to be able to take part in this significant project. The success of the platform is a credit to the hard work and commitment of both the IMO and WISTA International in supporting women in the sector,” Emmanolia Kolias, Channel Director, Mintra.

Emmanolia is a regular participant at industry events and a seasoned presenter in the maritime sector who has spoken at Safety4Sea Virtual Forums and MarSec events.

The joint statement by IMO and WISTA International to announce the new initiative was published on the IMO website with Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, President of WISTA International, stating, “WISTA is an international organisation whose mission is to attract and support women, at the management level, in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors. It is our conviction that diversity is one of the key elements for a sustainable future for our industries. Creating this platform in collaboration with the IMO is a fantastic opportunity to help the wider maritime sector attract more diverse talent in an international industry.

“Women in our industry will be able to show their interest in participating in panels, becoming more visible and inspiring others. At the same time, event organisers will have the tools to make their panels more inclusive, diverse and interesting.”

The launch of the Maritime Speakers Bureau is another joint project under the IMO-WISTA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting greater diversity and inclusion through enhanced cooperation activities in the maritime sector. The MoU, singed in 2020, aims to set a framework for both IMO and WISTA to promote gender diversity and inclusion as vital factors in providing a sustainable future for the shipping industry worldwide.