WISTA Cyprus held its 7th Annual General Meeting and elections, at Columbia Plaza Venue, Limassol. The Agenda of the AGM included an address by President of WISTA Cyprus, Anna Vourgos, coverage of other AGM matters and of course the elections for the positions of Treasurer and Young Board Affiliate.

Mrs. Vourgos, delivered the President’s report, for 2019 which was a year that saw the Association meet its goals and grow from strength to strength. As Mrs. Vourgos noted “It was a year of progress, remarkable growth, stability and recognition of the collective work of the whole of the WISTA membership and the valuable contribution of women in the shipping industry. Within this spirit we aim is to create more opportunities for women to enter the sector, and at the same time encourage more conversation for gender equality in the maritime space.”

Through these efforts and within the IMO’s 2019 Empowering Women, Shipping companies jointly pursued female empowerment initiatives within their organizations, as well as encouraging their female employees to join WISTA. As Mrs. Vourgos quotes; “this is a step forward in companies embracing concrete action plans, that aim in achieving greater gender equality within the industry. We truly hope that we will see more and more companies following in these footsteps.”

The President’s report was followed by the treasurer’s report and an address by candidates running for election, concluding with the voting results.

Outgoing member Tassoula Tsakania, was presented with an honorary award for her long-standing contribution to the Board, having served the role of Treasurer for 3 consecutive terms, completing the maximum tenure allowed. Additionally, an honorary award was presented to Mrs. Anna Pittalis,, outgoing member of the 2016 – 2018 Board, for the contribution to the association.

Following the AGM the new Board of Directors of WISTA CYPRUS for 2020-2021 is assembled follows:

PRESIDENT – ANNA VOURGOS, Co-Founder & Director, Aphentrica Marine Insurance Brokers Ltd.

VICE-PRESIDENT – KOULA LOUCA, Divisional Manager, EMCO

SECRETARY GENERAL – HELEN JOANNOU CHRYSOSTOMOU – Managing Partner, Maritime Executive Recruiters

TREASURER – MONICA POTSOU, HR Manager, P & O Maritime Logistics (Cyprus)

BOARD MEMBERS:

GINA PANAYIOTOU, Global Head of Shipping & Energy, Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC

NATALIA BURY LOYAL, Chief Governance Officer, Tototheo Maritime

UTA STEFFEN, Managing Director, JPC Shipmanagement (Cyprus) Ltd.

YOUNG BOARD AFFILIATE – GEORGIA DEMETRIOU, Legal Counsel, OSM Maritime Group

WISTA is a networking organization for women at management level in the maritime industry. Which works towards:

• Minimizing the existing gender leadership gap in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors.

• Building a community among its members, facilitating the exchange of contacts, information, and experiences

• Promoting the creation of business relationships among its members

• Facilitating the professional development of its members

• Providing liaison with other related institutions and organizations worldwide

WISTA Cyprus 2020-2021 Board, from left to right: Koula Louca, Georgia Demetriou, Natalia Bury, Anna Vourgos, Helen Joannou Chrysostomou, Monica Potsou. In absence: Gina Panayiotou and Uta Steffen Photo Credit: Konstantinos Georgiou Photography