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Why shipping needs to take the lead in diversity and inclusion by Heidi Heseltine — September 26, 2019 in Opinions, Shipping

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Heidi Heseltine, Co-Founder of the Diversity Study Group, introduces us the objectives of this new organization which is first to champion diversity and inclusion within maritime industry. The employment landscape is dynamic, Mrs Heseltine argues, and thus we need to embrace a new way of thinking to develop diversity and inclusion initiatives in order to prepare the ground for a sustainable working environment where the next generation would perform creatively. SAFETY4SEA: What does diversity mean for the shipping industry?

Heidi Heseltine: When looking at this subject, we have to accept that diversity and inclusion

go hand in hand.  You cannot achieve diversity without �rst having an inclusive environment

and culture.  Diversity is the mixture of individuals in society, while inclusion is allowing that

mixture to exist and work well together.  The bene�ts of this to any industry are a more

collaborative, engaged and motivated workforce resulting in greater loyalty, creativity,

innovation and ultimately performance.

S4S: What are the goals & aspirations of the newly established Diversity Study Group to

boost diversity in shipping industry?

H.H.: The Diversity Study Group is the �rst organisation dedicated to championing diversity

and inclusion in all forms in shipping. We are a leading resource and centre of excellence for

diversity and inclusion for the shipping and energy industries and comprised of experts with

shipping, employee attraction and retention, diversity and inclusion, and analytical expertise.

S4S: What would be the key challenges for greater diversity, inclusion and equality onboard

and ashore in the next 5-10 years?

H.H.: A key challenge is in attracting employees into the shipping industry and providing them

with environments that meet the demands for diverse and inclusive workplaces.  Another

signi�cant challenge is in educating those already in our industry regarding the bene�ts of

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diversity and having them engage proactively in the process so that it permeates through all

areas of a business and is seen, and acted upon, as a business priority.

S4S: In comparison to other industries, do you think that su�cient work is already underway

in terms of diversity within the shipping industry? What can we learn from others to move

forward?

H.H.: Absolutely not.  Shipping is lagging far behind other industries, the majority of shipping

organisations have either not started looking at this or are only at the beginning of their

diversity journey.  The opportunity for us to learn from other sectors is vast as we can take

advantage of proven processes and more importantly be aware of potential pitfalls.

Eg a recent study of over 450 HR professionals found the main two barriers to the

e�ectiveness of Diversity and Inclusion programmes are an availability of measurement

resources and a lack of reliable benchmark data.  We have pre-empted this within the work

we are undertaking in the Diversity Study Group by providing both measurement resources

and benchmark data for the industry.

S4S: Which are the key barriers towards a more diverse and equal environment onboard and

ashore and how your organization aims to assist the industry to overcome them? How these

barriers can be turned into drivers/ opportunities?

H.H.: We need to recognise that the industry has a diversity challenge and identify exactly

where those challenges lie, which is what we are doing through the Diversity in Shipping

Study.  With the statistics in hand, we can then identify the areas requiring support and

development.

The Diversity Study Group’s work is recognised for proactively promoting the bene�ts of

diversity and inclusion.  We bring together senior management and HR professionals from

across the industry globally to share the challenges that are being faced and highlight best

practice methodologies and industry initiatives being adopted to facilitate the necessary

changes.  The opportunity this presents is a collaborative approach to support the creation

of workplaces where all employees feel valued and able to contribute, allowing the potential

for innovation, creativity and performance to be realised.

S4S: This year, IMO WMD theme was dedicated to women empowerment in the maritime

community. What needs to be done further to support gender diversity in shipping?

H.H.: Education and environment are key.  We need to ensure that, as with all aspects of

diversity, we educate people throughout organisations regarding the bene�ts of greater

gender diversity – for any initiatives to succeed, we have to have buy in.  Secondly, we must

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create a working environment that supports the diversity objectives we have – this is from

setting the requirements for the job, to the core job function through to training, mentoring

and development, and networking opportunities.  Bene�ts and working initiatives also need

to be structured to re�ect the working demographic we are looking to attract and identify

with.  Measurement of the objectives and their successes, or failures, is also critical.

S4S: What is your key message to industry stakeholders with respect to a future of a more

sustainable shipping?

H.H.: The employment landscape is changing and, in order to be sustainable, we must

change with it.  Shipping is a very reactive industry but from a talent attraction perspective,

we stand to bene�t the most if we look ahead and plan accordingly.

In what has been hailed as a landmark statement, The Business Roundtable, an association

of CEOs of many of America’s largest companies, announced that it now views the purpose of

a company to be not just for shareholders, but for all stakeholders including employees and

communities. Among the 181 signatories are the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, and JPMorgan

Chase.

This is a clear demonstration of the changes underway and evidence that businesses are

placing increasing importance on the value of their employees.  Millennials and Generation Z

correlate diversity with a forward-thinking mindset, viewing diversity as a tool for boosting

both business and professional performance, especially when diversity is embedded in the

senior management teams.  A recent study of Generation-Z found that 77% of respondents

said that the level of diversity with a potential employer a�ects their decision to work there.

Those seeking a competitive edge and wanting to be a sought-after employer need to ensure

they very quickly have in place the necessary diversity and inclusion strategies, programmes

and initiatives.  As an international industry with access to a global workforce, we should

work collaboratively, as well as individually, to become diversity leaders.

The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of 

SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion  purposes only.

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Heidi Heseltine

Heidi Heseltine specialises in diversity, equity and inclusion for the global

maritime sector, working at an industry, corporate and individual level to support

progress and change in DEI across the shore based and seafaring communities.

With over 30 years’ experience in the maritime industry working in commercial,

operational and human resource roles, and as an international maritime business

leader since 2008, Heidi has unique insight into maritime related DEI. Heidi

founded the Diversity Study Group in 2018 to provide data, benchmarking,

industry collaboration and DEI consulting services for the maritime sector. The

group brings together experts from other industries to ensure best practice

methods are employed across projects, whilst ensuring shore-based and seafarer

DEI programs are tailored to the needs of the shipping industry. Projects include

strategy development and implementation, inclusive leadership, inclusion and

belonging, employee engagement, employee resource group programs, HR

support, and workshop facilitation. Heidi has led the Diversity Study Group in

supporting critical industry initiatives such as the All Aboard Alliance of which

Diversity Study Group is a Founding Knowledge Partner, in addition to being a

Knowledge Partner to the Global Maritime Forum. Heidi also owns and oversees

the maritime search and advisory �rm Halcyon Recruitment which specialises

within the global shore based shipping and maritime sector. Heidi serves as an

advisor and judge for industry initiatives focusing on diversity and inclusion,

including the DEI in Transport and Logistics Honor, Danish Shipping's Diversity

Award, and the Maritime DEI Lab. She has been recognised twice as one of the

Top 100 Women in Shipping for her work promoting DEI in the maritime industry.

Tags: CSR diversity Interviews women in shipping

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Comments 1

 3 years ago

Does the maritime industry’s idea of a diverse workforce applies also to cultural diversity?

From what is being expressed it appear it only refers to gender diversity

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