Connecting Women to Empower Change: Talking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

What does diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mean to KPI OceanConnect? We asked our women around the world to share their thoughts and experiences, and why these three elements are important to them.

For more than 50 years, we’ve been investing in our people and striving to create diverse and dynamic work places. We know that it’s vital for us to have an inclusive and inspired working environment where everyone is able to contribute, and that enables every colleague to achieve their full potential.

Our DEI strategy builds upon our strong foundations over the last half century to empower every individual, encourage a good work-life balance, and enable us to excel as a team.

As our Head of Corporate Services Dorthe Bendtsen, recently noted, “Diversity is about recognising the benefits of having a range of perspectives in decision-making, and team members who are representative of our partners and local communities. Inclusivity is about valuing everyone in an organization as an individual. An inclusive work environment is one in which everyone feels that they belong without having to conform, and that their contribution matters and they can perform to their full potential, no matter their background, identity or circumstances. Equality at work for us means an inclusive workplace that has impartial policies and practices in place offering equal terms and opportunities, and that enable a diverse range of people to work together effectively. Diversity, equality and inclusion are important in creating an engaged and motivated workforce. Without those things, it’s very hard to be a successful, productive, and sustainable organisation.”?

The state of shipping

When thinking about DEI in a maritime context, Saskia ter Wiel, Accounting and Trading Support in Rotterdam, the Netherlands says: “We should think of them as different types of fuel. Equity stands for the ship and inclusion stands for the crew. Take one away and you would have just words. But together, they stand strong with purpose, and can power the company’s engine.”

Shipping and the marine fuels sector have traditionally been male-dominated industries. We know that in the past women have seen no shortage of challenges in entering and working in this industry. Ana Atkinson, Group Accountant in London, UK shares her experience in joining the bunker industry 30 years ago: “I faced many challenges as a young female trader. The commercial side of this industry was heavily male orientated. Fortunately, I like a challenge, so I did not allow this to deter me. But that shouldn’t need to be the case, and I’m glad to see how much has changed since I started 30 years ago!”

At KPI OceanConnect we’ve been working hard over the years to ensure a diverse workforce and in particular a good gender balance. Today, our global workforce is 40% women overall, and of our trading professionals women make up 29% whereas 65% of our accounts and financial professionals are currently women. In senior management roles 29% are currently women. This reflects our belief that a diverse workforce is good for business, and also for advancing sustainability and inspiring innovation.

We are committed to further balancing female representation in commercial and managerial positions in the near future and to connecting and empowering our workforce, which not only enhances job satisfaction, but is also good for the environment and creates added value for our business partners.?

Enhancing DEI at KPI OceanConnect

In alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5, we are also pushing for greater diversity and inclusivity in the marine fuels industry, and wider maritime sector.

At KPI OceanConnect, we enable our people to unlock their full potential through innovative work practises, offering good career opportunities, and great working environments. By connecting and including different cultures, empowering all genders, and treating people equally, we strengthen our capabilities ?to work creatively, be agile and solve problems efficiently.

Commenting on inclusion, Venetia Dimoka, Head of Marketing, says: “In an organisation where inclusivity is one of our core values, everyone feels free to express him or herself without restrictions and treats everyone equally. As a result, our organisation is more productive, and we have seen success in attracting and retaining more talent since employees feel happy and engaged.” And as Chief Accountant Olcay Taskopru in Istanbul, Turkey, says: “Beyond gender, nationality and ethnicity, inclusion is about feeling equally involved and supported, as well as having equal opportunities.”

As a leader in the marine fuels market, our aim is to create compassionate, inclusive and innovative communities for our people and to lead by example in our industry. This is something that Susanna Lai, Managing Director in Hong Kong, is proud to endorse: It’s “very important for us at KPI OceanConnect to give a good leading model for the whole industry to follow. It is also crucial to show that we have no bias on any issues, and that we create a fair and diversified environment for our entire workforce, which in turn will attract more talented people to our industry.”?

We recognise that DEI is a continuous process of improvement, not a one-off initiative. We are addressing what we want to achieve methodically, with full support for our policies and practices from both employees, senior management and key stakeholders. We will be communicating regularly on our DEI progress to raise awareness and attract more women towards a career in maritime. As our New York-based Bunker & Lubricant Broker Svetlana Rjedkin recently said, “I was fortunate to find a career with a company where meritocracy counts regardless of who you are. This has allowed me to continue growing my career with confidence in a market that, let’s face it, may not be as inclusive as my work environment. I hope to inspire other females to be bold!”