Women in Maritime Leadership: Building the Next Generation of Change
- Yachting International Radio
- Mar 25
- 5 min read
The maritime industry has long been shaped by structure, hierarchy, and a workforce that has remained overwhelmingly male, yet beneath that surface, change is not only being discussed, it is being actively built through deliberate efforts to create pathways that allow more women to enter, progress, and ultimately lead.
At the centre of that shift is a growing recognition that leadership does not begin at the point of promotion, but much earlier, in the systems, support, and opportunities that determine who is able to advance in the first place and who is left navigating the industry without a clear route forward.
Sanjam Sahi Gupta, Founder of Maritime SheEO and Director at Sitara Shipping, has focused her work on that exact point in the pipeline, addressing not only the visibility of women in senior roles, but the structural gaps that continue to limit progression long before leadership is within reach.
Closing the Gap Before Leadership Begins
Much of the industry’s focus has historically been placed on women who have already reached leadership positions, often highlighting success stories at the top while overlooking the more critical stage where progression is either enabled or quietly stalled.
What Sanjam identified early on was this gap, the absence of structured support for women still working toward those roles, navigating an industry where access to mentorship, guidance, and opportunity has not always been evenly distributed.
Maritime SheEO was created to address that gap directly, focusing on women in junior and mid-level positions and providing them with access to leadership accelerator programmes, mentorship, and a global community that now spans more than 70 countries.
“There were a lot of women who were at junior positions aspiring to be in management, and there was nothing for them. That was the gap.”
It is a straightforward observation, but one that reframes the conversation entirely, shifting the focus from celebrating leadership to building it.
Women in Maritime Leadership and the Reality at Sea
While progress is being made, the challenges facing women in maritime remain significant, particularly for those working at sea, where the realities of safety, isolation, and workplace culture intersect in ways that are often difficult to address through policy alone.
Safety and harassment continue to be central concerns. Despite the presence of regulations and increasing awareness, incidents frequently go unreported, not because they do not occur, but because proving them is complex, the consequences of reporting can be uncertain, and the systems designed to protect individuals do not always function as intended.
“A lot of women don’t speak up. These incidents go unreported, and the perpetrators go free.”
There have been steps in the right direction, including zero-tolerance policies and mandatory gender sensitisation training in certain regions, but the effectiveness of these measures ultimately depends on enforcement rather than intention, and it is here that the industry continues to face a persistent challenge.
Confidence, Culture and the Leadership Barrier
Beyond structural and operational challenges, there is another layer influencing women in maritime leadership, one that is less visible but equally significant, and that is confidence.
The hesitation to step forward without meeting every requirement, the internal questioning of readiness, and the lack of representation at senior levels all contribute to a dynamic where capable individuals may hold themselves back, even when opportunities are available.
“Sometimes the person holding us back is ourselves. We need to give ourselves that push.”
This is not a question of competence, but of environment, experience, and expectation, shaped over time by both individual journeys and the broader culture of the industry.
At the same time, responsibility does not sit solely with individuals. Organisations play a critical role in recognising potential, creating pathways, and ensuring that progression is not dependent on confidence alone, but supported through deliberate and consistent action.
The Business Case for Women in Maritime Leadership
The conversation around diversity in maritime is often framed as an issue of fairness or representation, but there is a growing body of evidence that places it firmly within a commercial context.
Research has demonstrated a clear correlation between diversity and improved business performance, including higher levels of innovation, productivity, and profitability, reinforcing the idea that inclusive leadership is not only beneficial from a cultural perspective, but essential from a strategic one.
“If you show a business leader that diversity leads to better performance, there is no reason to ignore it.”
For an industry defined by efficiency, risk management, and long-term sustainability, this is not a peripheral consideration. It is central to future competitiveness.
The challenge, however, is not a lack of evidence, but a lack of urgency in acting on it. While the data supporting diversity as a driver of performance is well established, the pace at which it is being adopted across the maritime sector remains uneven, often constrained by legacy thinking, operational inertia, and a tendency to prioritise familiarity over long-term strategic gain. In that context, the conversation shifts from proving value to questioning why that value is not yet being fully realised.
Visibility, Awareness and the Future of Women in Maritime Leadership
One of the most significant barriers to increasing women in maritime leadership lies not only within the industry itself, but in how the industry is presented to those who have yet to enter it.
For many young people, particularly young women, maritime is not visible as a career path, and without that visibility, the industry loses potential talent before the conversation has even begun.
Efforts to address this are beginning to take shape, including initiatives aimed at introducing maritime careers earlier, increasing representation in educational materials, and ensuring that the next generation can see themselves reflected in the industry they may one day join.
It is a long-term approach, but one that is essential if the industry is to address both diversity and future workforce challenges in a meaningful way.
At the same time, the industry is facing a growing recruitment challenge, one that extends beyond diversity and into the broader issue of attracting the next generation altogether. Without greater visibility, clearer pathways, and a more inclusive perception of what a career in maritime can look like, the sector risks limiting its own talent pool at a time when it can least afford to do so.
Where the Industry Moves Next
The maritime industry now stands at a point where the conversation around women in maritime leadership can no longer remain theoretical, nor can it rely solely on intention or isolated initiatives that operate without long-term integration into the wider structure of the sector.
What happens next will not be defined by how often these conversations take place, but by how effectively they translate into action, into opportunity, and into leadership that reflects the full breadth of talent available.
Through Maritime SheEO, Sanjam Sahi Gupta has demonstrated what that action can look like in practice, creating space, structure, and support where it did not previously exist, and doing so in a way that is both measurable and scalable.
The broader question, however, does not sit with one organisation.
It sits with the industry itself.
Because the future of maritime will not be shaped by who has traditionally led it, but by who it is prepared to support moving forward, and whether it is willing to recognise that the strength of its leadership will ultimately depend on the opportunities it chooses to create today.
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