“In informal gatherings, people are quite vocal about their discomfort with women being treated as equals or more.”

“As a woman, I needed to understand my ‘place.’”

“I’m visibly queer, and I discovered that two of my black female coworkers and I were all underpaid compared to colleagues in the same role.”

These are a small sample of what 108 leaders from across the maritime industry said in a new report that identified barriers and bridges to more diversity in leadership positions.

The Global Maritime Forum and All Aboard Alliance report, Diversifying Maritime Leadership, uncovered three overarching barriers to leadership diversity:

• Societal norms and expectations that shape perceptions of who is “fit” to lead

• Company culture and policies that unintentionally disadvantage underrepresented groups

• Professional relationships that can either empower or marginalise capable leader

• Interviewees shared stories of discrimination and missed opportunities: women engineers asked to take notes instead of contributing technically, cadets assigned only cleaning duties, young parents leaving due to lack of family support, and LGBTQ+ leaders concealing their identity for fear of safety, to name just a few.

  While these experiences illustrate the cost of exclusion, the report also identifies three critical “bridges”, namely, mentorship, inclusive policies, and supportive professional networks that enable talent of all backgrounds to thrive. By removing barriers and strengthening bridges, the maritime sector can unlock untapped leadership potential, improve workforce satisfaction, and enhance its long-term sustainability.