Columbia Group shifts focus from recruiting to retaining women at sea

Columbia Group has called on the shipping industry to do more to retain and promote women at sea , warning that recruitment alone is not enough to address the sector’s gender imbalance, as its second She Beyond Conference took place in Manila. Held as part of Crew Connect Global, the conference brought together female seafarers to share experiences, build connections and explore how the industry can create more opportunities for women throughout their maritime careers. Building on its inaugural event, She Beyond forms part of Columbia Group’s wider commitment to supporting its people, from their first steps into maritime through to senior leadership positions. The initiative comes as women remain significantly underrepresented in the maritime workforce , particularly in seagoing roles.

According to the latest IMO–WISTA Women in Maritime Survey, published in May 2025, women account for just one per cent of seafarers employed by the organisations surveyed , highlighting the need for greater recruitment, retention and career development opportunities. However, Columbia Group believes attracting more women into the profession is only part of the challenge, with greater attention needed to ensure they can remain in the industry and progress into senior positions. Claudia Paschkewitz, Director of Sustainability, Inclusion and Diversity at Columbia Group, said the industry needed to reconsider how it measured progress. “We have spent years talking about attracting more women into maritime, but recruitment is only the beginning,” she said, adding that “The real measure of progress is whether women have equal opportunities to stay, progress and build sustainable careers. ” Beyond recruitment figures, Paschkewitz also stressed the importance of examining whether women were…