Pass the mic: The role of PR in increasing diversity and inclusion in shipping

Diversity and inclusion are not nice-to-haves. For an industry as global and complex as shipping, it’s business critical to attract and retain the best talent for the job. Women represent a wealth of untapped potential, skills and knowledge. Making the industry more appealing is, perhaps, as much a perception problem as it is a practical one.

BLUE Communication’s Business Development and Marketing Lead Emily Dove and Account Manager Rohini Lakhani recently attended WISTA UK’s Golden Jubilee at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London. The event celebrated the progress made within the shipping industry to enhance gender diversity, highlighting certain initiatives and individuals that are helping to pave the way faster.

For more than five decades, WISTA has championed gender balance and diversity and continues to drive progress by providing speakers with a platform to talk about DEI and other matters concerning the sector, including ESG and decarbonisation, as well as promoting opportunities and offering mentorship programmes.

WISTA UK’s success during this time is a testament to shipping’s potential for positive change by including more women across the industry's value chain particularly in senior leadership positions.

The conference started with an opening speech by Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General at the IMO, who outlined the importance of greater diversity and inclusion for the industry. He stressed the essential role of mentorship and the media in attracting and retaining talent.

This is as much a practical challenge as it is a perception one. This means that PR and communications have an important contribution to make; passing the metaphorical mic to women so that they are encouraged to share their voices and ideas.

Unpacking this further, journalists Holly Birkett and Declan Bush stressed the importance of the media in ensuring underrepresented voices are given the recognition they need. From a practical perspective, this could mean a greater emphasis on diversifying our clients’ spokespeople, where possible. Still, both Holly and Declan were quick to stress that traditional media is not the only channel available to the industry; social media is also a powerful tool to democratise industry stories.

Why does this representation matter now? Research has shown that having more women in an organisation can make the company a better place to work for everyone, increasing job satisfaction and, ultimately, outcomes. It’s a catalyst for innovation and, as an industry experiencing a period of huge change and transition, it is our responsibility to nurture the best talent, fresh ideas and approaches to tackle today’s challenges.

Greater diversity and inclusion are also becoming business imperatives with the rise of ESG governance. Speakers Gina Panayiotou from Oceans Arena/World ESG Forum, Øistein Jensen at Odfjell SE, Linden Coppell at MSC Cruises and Peter Hadjipateras at Dorian LPG stressed the need for greater transparency and accuracy around ESG reporting, looking beyond the environmental to also include social and governance. This shift is already underway in the industry, but we need more.

Simply put, businesses that want to perform better must start by doing better by their employees. From DEI initiatives to regulatory reporting and compliance, robust ESG governance will translate into greater organisational resilience and success.

The key is to attract and retain the best talent and this goes hand in hand with embracing diversity and inclusion. The focus, as Guy Platten – Secretary General at International Chamber of Shipping and winner of WISTA’s Man of the Year Award for 2024 - stressed at the event, must be people.

And this is where a communications partner can play an important role. Diversity can no longer be an afterthought in campaigns, and we need to continue to work with clients to showcase the wealth of expertise they have, in terms of team members and global presence.

Spreading the right message across multiple channels is equally important. Social media has found its place as a powerful tool to build a community of like-minded individuals. For those thinking of entering the industry, particularly women, these online forums help foster a sense of solidarity and strength in shared experiences.

At BLUE, we practice what we preach and have been working with several clients to make diversity a more integral part of their communications campaigns. For marine energy service provider KPI OceanConnect, classification society Bureau Veritas and maritime consultancy Houlder, BLUE Communications has created strategies to spotlight the importance of diversity and inclusion, as well as the role of women in leadership, their ambitions and career pathways. Through multi-channel strategies, covering media relations, owned content and social media, we’re helping to amplify the voices of women, breaking workplace stereotypes, and attracting more talented individuals to the industry.

Shipping is, by its global nature, a diverse industry and it’s partly the job of PR professionals to help bridge the gap between companies and their audiences. By embracing diversity and harnessing the power of media and communications, together we can shape a more innovative and inclusive future for everyone.

If your business is looking to enhance its communication efforts around DEI, Let’s Talk.