Wista Norway has a new president and three new board members, including a first for the organisation — a man.
DNV’s Stine Mundal is taking the reins at the maritime trade group after sitting on the board since 2019, taking over for Siri Sundal Shield, who served six years on the board and one as president.
The three new board members include Kongsberg Maritime head of creative design Jaquelyn Burton, Wilhelmsen Ship Service contracts director Adenike Knudsen and Norwegian Hull Club chief executive Hans Christian Seim.
“Our industry — and my company — has not yet found the recipe that allows us to tap into the full, diverse talent base in the tough competition of attracting and retaining the talents that will help us shape the maritime industry of tomorrow,” Seim said in a statement.
“By joining the Wista board I am allowed a seat amongst those who have tirelessly worked to keep the door to maritime industry open to a more diverse talent pool. I am highly motivated by the opportunity to take my enthusiasm and commitment to help promote diversity.
“I will listen, learn, question and be questioned and I hope that I can help challenge unconscious bias as our industry join efforts to put words into action.”
Burton, Knudsen and Seim bring the board to 10 members.
The new appointments come as Wista Norway pushes forward with its 40 by 30 Pledge.
Launched in May, it aims to increase the share of women in leadership positions in the industry to 40% by 2030. The group said more than 20 chief executives have taken the pledge, representing “an active choice in embracing diversity”.
As it stands, a report from the Norwegian government found women represent just 21% of employees in the broader maritime industry and 15% of management positions were held by women.
“We want 40 by 30 to become a valuable tool for identifying best practices and accelerating change,” Mundal said.
“It is only natural to include diversity when we talk about decarbonisation and digitalisation; you need to have access to the best talent and use the best minds from the entire population in order to meet those challenges.
“Our ’40 by 30’ campaign is all about engaging industry leaders and accessing this talent.”
