Ahead of her participation in early April at the 40th edition of CMA Shipping in Connecticut, USA, Heidi Heseltine, Founder of the Diversity Study Group (DSG), spoke with Seatrade Maritime News about current issues in the DEI space, the first cohort undertaking DSG's Crest mentoring programme, and the benefits the maritime industry will reap from a diverse workforce and inclusive workplaces.
Q: Has the recent backlash against DEI from the new US administration had an effect on shipping? What is at stake should companies feel emboldened to reduce their commitment to DEI?
A: Yes, there has been an impact. In the shipping industry, we have not seen organisations move away from their commitments to people and culture, what we are seeing is DEI strategies being revisited to ensure they are relevant, sustainable and in line with business objectives.
It is crucial that companies help everyone navigate through this period of uncertainty by reaffirming their values, culture and leading by example with the inclusive behaviours that are critical to both psychological safety and business success.
Q: How have the initial stages of DSG's Crest mentoring programme for emerging leaders in shipping performed? How engaged have mentors and mentees been in the initiative?
A: Crest was fully subscribed from the outset with participation from organisations and mentors from across the global maritime industry. Feedback from the programme so far is that the level of engagement and energy for the programme surpasses expectations. Having spent a considerable time designing Crest to ensure its relevancy and enduring impact—and with an alumni programme beyond it—we have attracted an exceptional pool of mentors from a wide range of leading industry organisations who are committed to not only helping their mentees, but also to the opportunity to learn themselves from the experience. Crest mentees are eager to harness the benefits of this exceptional opportunity for their personal and career development. We are already registering interest for the next cohort.
Q: Do you have a particular ambition or personal mark of success you are hoping to see from this first round of Crest?
The pinnacle of success for Crest is that it makes a difference to those on the programme. For the mentees, that they feel better equipped to tackle the areas they were looking to develop, and that they have expanded their network through the workshops as well as the mentoring one-to-ones. For the mentors, that they are able to use their experience to help their mentee develop, further develop their own leadership insights and refine their mentoring skills.
In addition, success is being able to harness the benefits of Crest to showcase the maritime industry as an attractive place to work, reflecting the variety of people and positions in the industry and a commitment to developing our current and future leaders.
Q: The World Bank’s recent report Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport : Global, ECA, and MENA Perspectives had a list of recommendations for transport stakeholders in order to improve gender balance in the workforce. Do any of those recommendations particularly resonate for shipping?
A: Yes, some more so than others depending on which area of this vast industry you are looking at. Particularly of note, and relevant to the technical sector in shipping, is creating an educational environment that raises awareness and encourages take up of technical studies and roles.
It is also worth noting that many of the recommendations serve to act as improvements for everyone within an organisation, not just women, for example strengthening recruitment processes to remove bias and providing physically and psychologically safe working environments. At a more practical level, the introduction of two-piece boiler suits for example (which was in response to enhancing female seafarers’ experiences) has been well received and is now a preference for many male seafarers.
Q: How do you characterise a diverse workforce, and what are the costs versus the benefits of adopting DEI in the maritime industry?
A: A diverse workforce is one that reflects a variety of demographics, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
The benefits of focusing on, and investing in, people, culture and safety—and therefore DEI as an intrinsic component of all three—are positive outcomes for both the business and its employees. Employees are supported to thrive in the workplace within a working culture that prioritises fairness for everyone, as well as physical and psychological safety. Businesses are rewarded with a culture that endures over time, an engaged workforce and best practice behaviours that are critical to talent attraction and retention, physical and psychological safety, innovation and commercial and operational outcomes.
Q: Are there particular hotspots of discrimination within shipping, either by geography, ship type, or employee characteristics? Are there successful examples of challenging these issues?
A: Discrimination shows up in many ways, intentional and unintentional. Looking at the shipping industry as a whole, a degree of intentional discrimination prevails predominantly based on gender, age, nationality and ethnicity, both ashore and at sea. Often this occurs at the time of applying for roles, therefore data in the public domain is limited and largely anecdotal.
Unintentional discrimination exists when procedures that are fair to everyone have not been implemented and leaders and managers have not been developed in learning to engage with their teams inclusively. This shows up in areas such as work allocation, bonus distribution and the provision of career development opportunities.
Data is critical in identifying what is working well and in challenging these issues. Through robust data collection and analysis, organisations can see where attention is required and instigate further action to be undertaken such as focus groups and process reviews (e.g. recruitment and promotion) in order to enhance employees’ experiences and remove bias and discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional.
At CMA Shipping 2025, Heidi will give a presentation on "A data-driven approach to people (at sea and ashore), culture and DEI" and take part in the panel debate "Leadership Forum - The Diversity Mandate" alongside moderator Ben Bailey, Director of Programme, Mission to Seafarers and fellow panellists Elpi Petraki, President WISTA International, Operations, Chartering & Business Development Manager at ENEA Management; and David Taylor CEng. FIMarEST FITOL, Lloyd's Maritime Academy.
An anchor event in the US and international maritime calendar, the 40th edition of CMA Shipping takes place from April 1 - 3, 2025 at the Hilton Stamford, Connecticut, USA, with a packed three-day conference agenda and bustling exhibition. Visit the CMA Shipping website to explore the full conference agenda and secure your place at the celebration of the show's 40th edition.
