International Women in Maritime Day 2024
Gender equality isn't just a moral issue; it's a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of sustainable development. This year, as we commemorate the IMO 2024 International Women in Maritime Day, the theme "Safe Horizons: Women Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety” resonates profoundly with us and the goals we are working towards.
The day not only recognises the role women play in the maritime industry but shines a light on the challenges they face and the opportunities for inclusion that lie ahead. The IMO calls on us to promote the ‘recruitment, retention and sustained employment’ of women, through transparency and openly stating what is being done to amplify the participation of women in the maritime sector.
At Mintra, we acknowledge that progress has been made in recent years throughout the sector, but there is a long way to go. Our core value, ‘people are our business’, is woven into everything we do, and we embrace Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) as more than buzzwords, they are a collective commitment to shape and modernise our operations.
Our gender split stands at 57% male and 43% female, which is indicative of the strides we have made, but shows that true transformation is yet to come. We are aware of the necessity for change and recognise that transparency and dialogue are paramount in this journey.
We have been working hard on improvements to ED&I across our business. The recent announcement that we have been included in The Sunday Times, Best Places to Work in the UK 2024, has been a huge acknowledgement. It is a testament to the progressive work of our People & Culture team and our 200+ employees who put the theory into practice and share our values.
The Sunday Times survey showed that four out of five women at Mintra feel empowered in their roles, reflecting our dedication to providing the tools, support, and environment for positive change.
In recent years we have honed our recruitment strategy with a heightened focus on gender equality, development and progression practices, and by supporting initiatives that encourage more women to pursue careers in technology. We recruit from non-traditional pools, promoting flexible work arrangements and remote opportunities that might appeal to women.
Our Talent Acquisition Program emphasises transparency and actively reaches out to underrepresented groups, including mothers re-entering the workforce. Creating a supportive work environment is paramount. We maintain popular policies with our team, like flexible work arrangements and parental leave. This fosters inclusivity and accommodates diverse lifestyles, and the fact that 85% of our employees felt happy with their working hours in The Sunday Times survey, reflects that we are doing well with this. Through initiatives like the Competency Framework, we empower employees to chart their career paths, promoting internal mobility and personal growth.
Our journey towards gender equality extends beyond internal initiatives and we have been members of WISTA (Women's International Shipping & Trading Association) for many years. Bodies like this are vitally important to advocate for industry-wide change, be part of the dialogue for gender diversity and inclusion and collaborate on initiatives to address barriers and biases. We are proud that our team are actively shaping the future and fostering change by being part of this organisation, and for our leaders, such as Jorunn Eldoy and Emmanolia Kolias who have been championing the cause as board members for WISTA in the Netherlands and Cyprus for many years.
It is important to set ambitious targets for female representation in leadership roles. Through mentorship programs and networking opportunities, we hope to empower women to excel and break barriers. In 2023 we pledged to WISTA to have 40% of our leadership positions held by women by 2030. Through our competency framework, we are developing the talented women in our business to take on those leadership roles and with 46% already at management level, we are well on the way.
Mintra’s main customer markets in Maritime are characteristically male-dominated with only 3-5% of women in the offshore workforce. In contrast, Mintra has many female customers in management positions, administrating and operating our systems. In our annual System user forum, held in Bergen each year, over 80% of customer attendees were management-level females. We are proud that successful women in safety-critical industries are a core customer persona for Mintra.
Education and training are vital pillars of our ED&I initiatives. We provide tailored programs to equip women with the skills and qualifications necessary for maritime and safety-critical careers, ensuring they thrive in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
To raise knowledge and awareness of ED&I, Mintra offers a range of online training courses, including Equality & Diversity, Business Ethics, Code of Conduct, Corporate Social Responsibility and Cultural Awareness. Learn More
Mintra has been actively supporting this initiative with both Siren Berge and Erle Kristin Wagle talking on the subject in the Maritime media.