- Columbia Group CEO Mark O’Neil stressed that inclusion is essential for making diversity meaningful in the maritime industry.
- He highlighted Columbia’s progress, including a 10% female seafarer workforce and near gender parity across the company.
- O’Neil argued that the biggest challenge for the sector is attracting and retaining diverse, capable people—not just technology or environmental concerns.
- He urged the industry to go beyond gender-focused diversity and embrace a fully inclusive, broad-spectrum approach.
At the TradeWinds Shipowner’s Forum during Nor-Shipping, Columbia Group CEO Mark O’Neil emphasized that inclusion is just as critical as diversity in creating a genuinely welcoming and supportive shipping industry. Speaking on the importance of valuing individuals, he noted that people must feel heard and involved in diversity efforts to have a real impact. O’Neil described inclusion as “diversity’s forgotten twin” and cautioned that without it, diversity risks becoming a superficial gesture. True inclusion, he said, brings authenticity and ensures the benefits of a diverse workforce are fully realized.
The Foundation of a Strong Maritime Workforce
Columbia Group CEO Mark O’Neil highlighted the company’s progress in gender representation, noting that 10% of its seafarers are women—well above the industry average of just 1%. He also pointed out that the overall workforce is nearly evenly split, with 48% female and 52% male, and more than 50 women hold leadership roles across the Group. Despite these achievements and the company’s commitment to diversity and sustainability since 2022, O’Neil acknowledged that there is still work to be done.
Speaking at the forum, he stressed that the maritime sector’s most pressing challenge is not technological or environmental, but human. The real test, he said, lies in attracting and retaining capable, diverse individuals—“People with a capital P”—from all backgrounds and beliefs. Inclusion, he argued, is key to this effort. Without genuine inclusion, he warned, those who enter the industry may eventually leave feeling unheard and undervalued, potentially harming the sector more than if they had never joined.
Broadening the Lens on Diversity and Inclusion
Mark O’Neil encouraged the maritime industry to adopt a broader, non-genre-specific approach to diversity, emphasizing that this perspective allows the sector to fully embrace the vast spectrum of human potential. He argued that shipping, by its very nature, is uniquely positioned to benefit from global diversity and can set an example for other industries. By fostering true inclusion, he said, the industry can attract a wider pool of talented individuals both onshore and at sea, ultimately creating a workforce rich in understanding, relatability, and quality.
O’Neil also recognized the efforts of organizations like WISTA for their decades-long contribution to promoting gender equality, but he called on the sector to aim beyond equality alone. He concluded with a call to action, urging the industry to extend its focus across all dimensions of diversity—welcoming and retaining individuals through mutual respect and a shared sense of value. That, he affirmed, is the essence of inclusion—not just as a companion to diversity, but as its vital counterpart.
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Source: Columbia Group
