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WISTA International Board members and Shehara Jayawardana with Brand Ambassadors
A new kind of ambassador was announced on 6 May at the WISTA-CASA Conference. The WISTA Sri Lanka ambassadors will act for the women in the shipping industry by helping to raise the profile of women in the shipping and maritime industries. WISTA (Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association) strives to encourage more women to join the shipping industry, foster networking and mentorship. The international reach of WISTA is remarkable and by appointing ambassadors, WISTA SL is helping extend that reach.
Since its inception in 2014, WISTA Sri Lanka has held successful career fairs, conferences and both formal and informal meetings. The appointment of ambassadors is only another step in WISTA’s path towards progress in the maritime industry and Sri Lanka both. The inspiration for the initiative was the United Nations ‘He for She’ campaign for gender equality which seeks to inspire men to campaign for women’s rights. Men make up half the world and the majority of higher management; so it is vital that men as well as women seek to redress the imbalance in the workplace.
The men whom they chose to be their ambassadors are all stalwart members of the shipping industry and have been instrumental in developing the shipping, maritime and logistics landscaper of Sri Lanka over the last few decades. Their wisdom and experience will benefit WISTA Sri Lanka as well as enable them to know how best to reach out to other industry leaders.
The WISTA SL Brand ambassadors that were so honoured were the Minister of Ports and Shipping Arjuna Ranathunga, Sri Lanka Ports Authority Managing Director H.D.A.S. Premachandra, South Asia Gateway Terminals Ltd. Chief Commercial Officer Ted Muttiah, McLarens Holdings Ltd. Group Chairman Rohan de Silva, Hayleys Plc Chairman Mohan Pandithage and Sri Lanka Shippers Council Chairman Sean Vandort.
WISTA Global Ambassador Anil Singh, the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of DP World Subcontinent, was present at the conference and the inauguration of the WISTA Sri Lanka Ambassadors. He is a strong supporter of WISTA and has previously said that WISTA “has helped bring together like-minded individuals and facilitated mentoring and awareness programs that emphasise the various growth opportunities available to women in this erstwhile male-dominated sector.”
The efforts of the WISTA Sri Lanka members have focused on networking/mentoring between women already in the industry and promoting the shipping industry as a good career path to graduate students. With their new ambassadors, WISTA Sri Lanka is expanding their reach and ensuring their message of equality will be heard in boardrooms around the nation.
