More than one hundred women leaders have registered as speakers on the new Maritime Speakers Bureau platform.
IMO and WISTA International have created the new Maritime Speakers Bureau platform, intending to end the tradition of all-male speaking panels.
The speakers directory provides a database of women who are experts in their field and are available to speak on a broad range of topics from decarbonisation, law and regulations through to AI, robotics, naval architecture and more.
Furthermore, conference organisers are invited to sign the Conference Organisers’ Pledge and commit to ensuring a variety of speakers at industry events.
Commenting on the development, Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, said:
The excellent response we have received in the short time since the platform launched highlights the industry’s appetite to hear from a variety of people and the need to make the process of finding speakers easier. Another great advantage is that speakers and event organizers can register and use the platform for free
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. Earlier this year, IMO and WISTA provided the results of the first, 2021, IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime survey.
