Caroline Yang was elected president of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) in June 2019, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the organisation’s 34-year history.
Yang wants shipping to embrace diversity on all fronts, although gender diversity is the obvious one.
“I am always being touted as the first female president in the organisation’s history, so it is always on my mind,” she said.
Singapore’s maritime sector appears very progressive in terms of gender equality.
From 1 January, Tan Beng Tee, the assistant chief executive of development at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), will take up the reins of executive director at the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF).
That means that at the start of 2021, all four of its main shipping industry bodies — the MPA, SSA, SMF and the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) — will be led by women.
But Yang believes the city-state’s overall maritime cluster can do more.
“There is a huge representation of women in the maritime sector, but they are under-represented in leadership roles,” she said.
“It is not just women that we need to attract and promote, but youngsters in general. We need to show them that shipping is an exciting industry that is full of passionate people and provides a level playground for everyone.”
Yang stressed that organisations such as the MPA, SSA, SMOU and SMF have to work in close cooperation with industry stakeholders to build the overall arch of what is generally referred to as “Maritime Singapore”.
“It is very much driven by the MPA, which actively engages the industry in very robust discussions,” she said. “All parts need to work together or we won’t get very far.”
Yang cited the Covid-19 pandemic as a good example of how the system works.
“The pandemic brought many challenges, such as crew changes,” she said. “It made it even more important for closer collaboration between authorities, industry bodies and stakeholders.”
Since taking the helm at the SSA, Yang has tried to build a more active, engaged membership.
“The SSA on its own will not really mean much unless it engages with industry stakeholders and is relevant to each and every one of them,” she said.
