MSC Cruises has its sights set on perfect gender balance within a few years.
The Pierfrancesco Vago-led company, the world's fourth-largest cruiseship owner, expects to have an equal number of men and women working on its 19 cruiseships by the end of 2024.
"We have a very clear road map and we are working collaboratively with a range of education facilities around the world to ensure that the future offers greater opportunities for all," chief human resources officer Elia Congiu told TradeWinds.
"We can only speak for ourselves, but diversity is an increasing development for our people — not just women and minorities — and attracting people from the outside to join our truly international culture and identity is eased with the diverse environment we offer."
Congiu declined to disclose how close the employer of 23,500 people is to that goal but said a UK training academy is helping with a "strong succession plan" to put more women on board ships and in executive posts.
"We all have a responsibility in society and the shipping industry is no different," he said.
"Working in the maritime sector has traditionally been for men and it’s only in more recent times that companies have more proactively opened to make sure they made opportunities available for women to have careers in shipping."
Women at work
He said MSC Cruises has female executives overseeing crew and port development, marketing, casino operations and shore excursions, without specifying how many women it has in such roles.
He added that MSC Cruises, owned by Mediterranean Shipping Co, also has several female country managers in Europe, the Far East and Latin America.
Its shoreside staff is 56% female with 34 different nationalities at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Its ships employ workers from 70 countries.
"We have an ongoing commitment to ensure that we have a diverse and culturally rich workforce across all grades and ranks and, in terms of future hiring’s and growth opportunities, our talent management recruiters are very focused in our belief towards equal opportunities for all," he said.
"That’s a very diverse workforce that represents every creed, colour and background."
