The International Maritime Organization confirmed that Professor Momoko Kitada will receive the 2025 IMO Gender Equality Award, following her nomination by Japan. The announcement comes ahead of the May 2026 celebrations marking the International Day for Women in Maritime, recognizing her long-standing influence on maritime education, diversity leadership, and gender empowerment.
Professor Kitada serves as the Nippon Foundation Professorial Chair in Gender and Innovation and leads Maritime Education & Training at the World Maritime University. Her career has shaped a generation of maritime professionals through research, academic leadership, and sustained efforts to strengthen gender perspectives across the sector.
Driving global progress on gender equality
The assessment panel emphasized that her impact extends well beyond WMU in Malmö. Her work has translated into practical improvements in national institutions, maritime governance, and capacity-building programmes worldwide. Through a combination of research, policy engagement, and consistent leadership, she has helped bring gender equality and diversity to the center of maritime development strategies. Her approach has been widely noted for its authenticity, steady influence, and tangible outcomes.
A career anchored in seafaring and academia
Professor Kitada’s maritime journey began at sea before she pursued advanced studies, culminating in a PhD in Social Science from Cardiff University. Since joining WMU in 2011, she has become a core figure in maritime education and interdisciplinary training. Her teaching spans maritime energy management, sustainable development, capacity building, digitalization, innovation, and research methodology. She also coordinates specialized programmes, including postgraduate diplomas and summer academies focused on maritime decarbonization.
Her work includes extensive collaboration with IMO to support the inclusion of women in maritime roles. As a certified Gender Audit Facilitator and an expert in monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment, she combines academic rigor with practical application across global maritime initiatives.
Recognizing broader contributions to women’s empowerment
Alongside Professor Kitada’s award, the IMO Council endorsed several Letters of Commendation to highlight contributions made across different regions:
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Mr. Marcos Tinti, for reforms and diversity initiatives at Companhia Brasileira de Offshore.
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Mrs. Mariana Pescatori Candido da Silva, for strengthening gender perspectives in Brazil’s maritime governance.
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Ms. Eleni Polychronopoulou, for advancing women’s roles in technical fields and increasing visibility of female marine engineers in Europe.
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Commodore Christine Pauline Bergaño-Diciano, for her pioneering leadership in the Philippine Coast Guard and her regional influence across Southeast Asia.
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Ms. Elisa D. Chomi, for her trailblazing achievement as the Philippines’ first female Chief Engineer and her leadership example at sea.
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Rear Admiral Mitzie Silva-Campo, for implementing gender-responsive policies that enabled women to advance to senior ranks in the Philippine Coast Guard.
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Ms. Christine Duffy, for improving female representation across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and supporting career development through mentorship initiatives.
Advancing gender equality through the IMO framework
The IMO Gender Equality Award recognizes individuals of any gender who make exceptional contributions to gender balance and women’s empowerment in the maritime domain. Nominations for the 2026 award were reviewed by an international assessment panel comprising IMO leadership and representatives from established maritime and labour organizations.
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Source: IMO
