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Diversity Study Group is hosting its 2022 Conference on 15 November in Copenhagen, entitled ‘DEI in Maritime – Playing your Part’, and we have a small number of free places available.

Taking place at the headquarters of A. P. Moller – Maersk, we are bringing together many leading maritime voices representing both shoreside and seafaring interests, to discuss and share ideas on how we can work together to drive change on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the maritime sector at an industry, corporate and personal level.

Our agenda for the day includes from, a keynote address from Mikael Skov, CEO of Hafnia and Co-Chair of the Global Maritime Forum’s All Aboard Alliance, panels moderated by the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for AP Moller – Maersk and the Executive Director of Danish Shipping plus contributors from Lloyd’s Register, Cargill, Synergy, Seably, New Financial, Diversity Study Group, Fantail and more.

We have an exciting array of topics to explore, ranging from the role of DEI within the wider ESG landscape, increasing stakeholder pressure for organisations to deliver on DEI, the drivers and the roadblocks to progress, and what the future looks like.  We will also provide an update on the findings of the DSG Annual Review 2022, which will offer essential insights into the current state of DEI in the maritime sector.

Above all, we want to understand the meaningful steps we can each take to accelerate progress towards more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces – and the dividends this can unlock for our organisations, for individuals, and for our industry as a whole.

This will be a highly interactive and participatory event, with plenty of opportunity for all attendees to join the debate and have their say.

If you are involved in leading or supporting your organisation’s DEI strategy and would like further information / to attend, please email info@diversitystudygroup.com.

We are proud that our Founder, Heidi Heseltine, is an Advisor to the Maritime DEI Lab 2022.  This is an exceptional and innovative opportunity for an individual or team to come forward with an idea that can evolve into a scalable digital solution to drive greater diversity, equity and inclusion within the maritime industry.  The winning concept will receive a phenomenal amount of support from major stakeholders in the industry including Hafnia, Wilhelmsen Group, Rightship, Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Thome Group, as well as other key industry Advisors, and the chance to make a real difference for others, for themselves and for the benefit of the maritime industry as a whole.

https://www.esg-innovation.com/maritime-dei-lab-2022/

Danish Shipping, the representative organisation for Denmark’ shipping industry, has launched its first Diversity Award, and our Founder Heidi Heseltine is on the jury that will be assessing the four nominees.

Denmark’s shipping sector is an important player in the Danish economy and a leading player in the global shipping industry, not least as a centre for progress, innovation and best practice. It is perhaps little surprise that the four nominees for Danish Shipping’s Diversity Award are all well-known, progressive names within the maritime world.

The award has been established by Danish Shipping to help highlight initiatives that have delivered significant progress towards increasing diversity, either within the organisation or for the industry as a whole.  The four nominees for the inaugural award are DFDS, Maersk Tankers, Hafnia and Norden.

The five-strong jury will assess the merits of all four nominations, which between them showcase a wide range of initiatives, employee benefits and targets to drive meaningful progress to improving diversity.

The winner of the award will be announced in October. For more on the award and the nominees, read on:

https://www.danishshipping.dk/en/press/news/four-shipping-companies-nominated-for-new-diversity-award/

To mark last week’s International Women’s Day, we were proud to host a panel discussion with an inspiring line-up of contributors to explore the ‘the business case for DEI’.

The conversation spanned a number of critical issues around the role that diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) can play as an enabler of business success in the maritime industry, including why DEI is essential for a successful and attractive maritime industry, exploring a number of gender and cultural data insights into the value of DEI, what is being done that works well and the consequences of inaction.

The session was moderated by our co-founder, Heidi Heseltine, who was joined by Eman Abdalla, Global Operations & Supply Chain Director at Cargill Ocean Transportation, Natalia Alvarez, VP, Senior Client Programmes Manager at SwissRe, David Barrow, VP, South Asia at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, and Magdalene Chew, Founding Director at AsiaLegal LLC.

Our panellists shared their professional insights and knowledge on how the maritime industry can capitalise on the business case for DEI and unlock the power of more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.  But more than this, they also offered up their own powerful stories drawn from their careers in the maritime industry. We’re grateful to them for sharing their personal experiences on the challenges they have encountered and witnessed along the way.

It is hard to pick just a few talking points from what was a fantastic discussion, but it was enlightening to hear a number of our panellists describe how they ‘fell’ into the maritime sector, rather than actively choosing it as a career. This raises some interesting questions about how we can position the sector as a desirable career destination outside of those countries such as Greece where it enjoys a high profile.

Our panellists also spoke about the importance of visible representation and what a difference it can make to see other people like you within an organisation, at a networking event, or on the podium at an industry conference.

In a competitive recruitment market, there was some excellent advice on the need to be constantly recruiting for upcoming vacancies, with a ‘campaign mentality’ to attracting the diverse talent that your organisation needs. This was exemplified by a great example of a successful recruitment campaign to hire women into trading roles, which remains a very male-dominated position.

Training, mentoring and development are also vital when it comes to creating a pathway for your future leaders. There are signs that this is starting to happen more and more, but the panel highlighted that it needs to cascade to all levels of the organisation, as every employee has potential and a role to play.

When it comes to DEI, actions speak louder than words – but words also matter. Our discussion highlighted the need to communicate internally on the steps you are taking as an organisation, the progress being made and the changes you are putting in place. It is essential that your team can see the work that you are doing.

This year’s International Women’s Day called on us all to #BreakTheBias and our panel also discussed the biases that continue to be found in all areas of the maritime sector; not just around gender equality, but in many other areas of inequality. These biases require deliberate action at every stage – starting with your job descriptions and job advertisements.  One of our panellists shared a fascinating example of how reviewing the language in their job specifications and adverts had made a difference to attracting a wider pool of candidates.

To return to our headline theme, our panellists made clear that the business case for DEI is beyond doubt. We heard some compelling examples of how deliberate strategies that have sought to build more diverse and inclusive teams have delivered tangible commercial outcomes. Put simply, an effective DEI strategy gives your organisation a competitive advantage.

It is always encouraging to learn of the progress being made by many maritime organisations when it comes to developing DEI strategies that are starting to make a real difference. However, it is not a quick process and there is no guarantee that every initiative will succeed. By sharing experiences, we can learn from the successes, as well as when things don’t go to plan. What we have consistently seen is that those that tailor their strategy and their DEI initiatives to their business get better results.  There is no ‘off the shelf’ approach that will work for everyone.

We also know that there are also lots of organisations that would like to take their first step, but aren’t sure where to start. If we can help your organisation to support greater equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace, please get in touch with us at info@diversitystudygroup.com.

Our sincere thanks to our panellists, as well as to all of those who tuned in to watch live. If you missed it, you can watch it back on our YouTube channel here.

The Global Maritime Forum has been a powerful voice for a more progressive, sustainable maritime sector and has helped to deliver a number of transformative initiatives that will change the maritime industry – and our relationship with the wider world – for the better.

We were proud to have the opportunity to share our insights with the GMF on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the maritime sector. In our article, we look at the momentum that is steadily being built and the positive progress that is being made by many leading organisations across our sector.

We also look at why DEI makes good business sense and how it benefits both employers and employees, as well as the further steps that need to be taken to drive further change and overcome the obstacles to more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

For example, we know that there has been significant growth in DEI roles, and that the rise of ESG has helped to raise awareness of DEI issues. But for all the progress being made, the maritime sector still has a long way to go. To choose just one metric, there is a significant lack of ethnic and female representation at the senior levels of our industry. There is also a real appetite from employees for more training and awareness on DEI issues.

In an era when the maritime sector is competing with other sectors to attract and retain talent, it is even more important that we offer meaningful, inclusive, and rewarding careers. We’re proud to be working with our Diversity Study Group members to provide the data-driven insights and expertise that is helping them to put in place robust DEI strategies that will deliver real benefits for their organisations and for their teams.

Our thanks to the Global Maritime Forum for allowing us to shine a light on this debate.  You can read our full article on the GMF website, here:

https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org/news/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-are-gaining-momentum-in-the-maritime-industry

• 2021 Annual Review highlights lack of ethnic and female representation at senior levels of the maritime industry
• DEI issues increasingly important to employees and a key tool to attract and retain talent
• Growing demand from employers for better DEI data to benchmark progress and foster more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces

LONDON, UK – 19 November 2021: Shipping is significantly lacking ethnic and female representation at the senior level, according to the latest survey from the Diversity Study Group. However, employers are increasingly keen to embrace the benefits of DEI (diversity, equality, inclusivity) data to support decision-making and respond to the growing importance of DEI issues to employers and new recruits.

The results come from the Diversity Study Group’s 2021 Annual Review, published this week. The review draws on the results of a survey of over 3,000 people from the Group’s member organisations spanning the maritime supply chain, including ship owners, operators, managers and charterers.

The survey confirms a significant lack of ethnic and female representation at senior levels of the sector. The data showed 27% of C-Suite positions are currently held by women, dropping to 14% for the Heads of Department level. However, this gender imbalance is not reflected at junior and trainee level, where the split is 63% female and 35% male.

The survey also explored the gender divide between departments. IT remains the most male-dominated department with 82% of its workforce identifying as male. This is closely followed by technical & fleet operations, with only 19% of roles being filled by women. In comparison, there is a higher representation of women in finance, human resources, administrative and support roles, as well as legal, insurance, and middle-office areas.

As well as gender, the Annual Review explored age and ethnicity in the shoreside shipping workforce.  The Review also looks at employees’ awareness of their organisation’s DEI policy and their ability to speak up and raise concerns over discrimination in the workplace.

Heidi Heseltine, Co-Founder of the Diversity Study Group, commented: “Other sectors are making considerable investments in time and resource as they adapt their business strategies to foster a more inclusive workplace culture. If shipping fails to do so, it risks falling behind at a time when DEI has become essential to building a resilient and relevant sector, one that can thrive and progress.”

“It is clear that shipping’s next generation cares about DEI issues. Shipping is also competing with other sectors for the same people, so it is essential that we can offer meaningful, inclusive, and fulfilling career destinations. Through our Annual Review, we are shining a light on the current state of DEI in our sector, building up a clearer picture of where the challenges lie, and helping organisations take a data-led approach to adopting DEI strategies that meet the needs of their business.”

This is the second annual review conducted by the DSG, which is now building a growing data set on diversity issues, particularly around age, gender, and ethnicity, that will meet the demand from shipping organisations for robust benchmarks that will help to track progress and drive change through more data-driven DEI strategies and programmes.

The survey helps to capture, from a diversity, equality and inclusivity perspective, how people are thinking and feeling about working in shipping and maritime. This enables the DSG and its members to appreciate those concerns and take them into account as we progress, organisationally and collectively, on our DEI journey.

Among the key lessons and learnings points from this year’s Annual Review, the DSG notes that this survey was conducted against the ongoing backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of which will be clearer in next year’s survey. However, the pandemic has provided an opportunity for employers to rethink their approach to flexible working in a way that can help attract and retain employers from under-represented groups.

To help make it relevant and to embed real change, employers are encouraged to articulate to their teams why diversity, equality, and inclusivity matters to them. There was also an appetite from employees for more training on DEI issues, more learning and personal development opportunities, and a more consistent application of policies and processes to provide equal opportunities.

The Diversity Study Group would like to thank all organisations and employees who completed this year’s survey.

The membership of the DSG spans the shipping industry and includes AET, Ardmore Shipping, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Cargill Ocean Transportation, Dorian LPG, G2 Ocean, GasLog, Hafnia and Peninsula. The DSG is keen to welcome new members and any organisations interested in membership are encouraged to get in touch.

The 2021 Annual Review is now available upon request via info@diversitystudygroup.com.