VIKAND, the global healthcare solutions provider to the international commercial maritime, cruise, yachting, and offshore industries, has become a member of The All Aboard Alliance.

Set-up in 2020 by a group of like-minded maritime industry leaders and supported by the Diversity Study Group and Swiss Re, The All Aboard Alliance’s aim is to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all maritime businesses both at sea and ashore.

The inaugural high-level meeting took place  on 24^th  and 25^th May at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, near Zürich. Discussions centered around how members can work together to lead and facilitate this transformation by improving DEI within their own organizations and across the global maritime industry.

The meeting focused on creating a common understanding of the issues faced by identifying the immediate challenges and build a strong platform for collaborative action.

The All Aboard Alliance agreed five key principles which all member companies will implement in their businesses.

These agreed Alliance principles are:

1. To appoint a sponsor within their businesses to lead and ensure accountability with respect to diversity , equity, and inclusion.
2. Equip and educate staff to understand their roles and responsibilities in fostering a DEI workplace.
3. Create and maintain a culture of equity within the organization.
4. Capture data and insights to evaluate progress in DEI and create strategic objectives.
5. Externally communicate progress towards DEI goals annually.

Initial collaborative workshops are being developed and agreed during the final morning session on the 25^th May.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the core elements that every maritime company needs to truly embrace. If we want to retain and attract new talent to the industry to encourage sustainable growth then we must demonstrate our commitment to DEI through actions rather than words. By joining The All Aboard Alliance, VIKAND is fully in step with the ambitions, goals and aims set out by its members. In fact, 41% of our workforce is female and we will be addressing how we can make that a 50:50 split in the not too distant future, ” said Peter Hult, CEO, VIKAND.

“I am grateful to the Global Maritime Forum for organizing this inaugural meeting and look forward to future ones where we can share experiences and update fellow members on our individual company’s progress as well as our collaborative successes. The 24 strong membership already includes some high profile maritime businesses like Anglo Eastern, Cargill, Lloyd’s Register and Ocean Technologies Group and more will join us once they see the benefits of working together to create an inclusive industry where people feel safe and respected” he continued.