Svitzer strengthens its commitment to equality in shipping

Last month, our company showed its commitment to focus and work towards reaching gender equality within shipping.

On January 23rd, Svitzer showed its commitment towards reaching gender equality within shipping by signing the Kvindercharter. This historical initiative, hosted by Danish Shipping, saw a total of 14 industry players signing the Charter to support the increase of female professionals employed within the shipping industry.

The document compels the signees to devise a strategy to increase the proportion of women in their companies, ensuring that women and men have equal opportunities to pursue a career in shipping. “This is just one of the many efforts we are determined to carry out to promote growth and innovation. It’s simply about talent. It represents our commitment to connect sea and shore with the right capabilities the market can offer us”, stated Stine Thorup, Head of Global HR at Svitzer.

Today, Svitzer counts a female CEO, 30% of women leaders and 40% women in the extended leadership team. Last year alone, Svitzer showed significant commitment toward cultural change by training their first all-female crew, onboard of Svitzer Monte Cristi, providing harbour towage services in Santo Domingo. As a recognition of this and other initiatives, in November 2019, Svitzer Australia was awarded the Gender Diversity Award, at the 2019 DCN Australian Shipping and Maritime Awards, for its dedication in promoting the benefits of diversity and addressing the gender gap.

Svitzer’s responsibility for equality goes hand-in-hand with the commitment to inclusion. “We have come a long way, but there is still a lot to be done. Diversity and inclusion are key levers to strengthen business results in the markets where we operate – and a necessary action for access to future and wider talent pools.” affirmed Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, Svitzer’s CEO.

Having a diverse team is essential to breaking cultural biases between sea and shore, and to providing an international, combined experience. Everywhere Svitzer operates, it commits to support local businesses with an obligation to the local communities, making sure to leave behind a sustainable footprint.

Supporting equality in the workplace or investing in local talent are just some of the ways in which Svitzer is working towards achieving a skilled workforce. Discover more on Svitzer’s ambition to attract and develop industry’s experts here: https://svitzer.com/who-we-are/our-people/