Women at Foreship: Kaisa Immonen

This week, our industry proudly celebrates diversity and inclusion with the International Maritime Organization 's International Day for Women in Maritime – supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women.?This annual occasion raises the profile of females across the sector, and promotes their recruitment, retention and sustained employment.?

As such, Foreship Ltd. is delighted to highlight some of its fantastic women, and their roles in its global locations.

First up we introduce Kaisa Immonen , CFO, Foreship Group Ltd.

How many years have you been with Foreship??Describe your current role and what an average day looks like.

I came onboard Foreship 12.5 years ago. At that time, I was the company’s 40th employee and Foreship didn’t have any overseas subsidiaries. Now we are close to 100 with five offices outside Finland. It has been quite something of a journey, through smooth and choppy seas, but the way Foreship has evolved over the years has been impressive.

Clearly, as CFO, the end of the financial year is always the busiest period. But I’d say the best thing about my job is that no two days are alike because my role covers so many areas of the business; from managing overall financial performance for the group and its subsidiaries, to budgeting, forecasting and treasury. I also take responsibility for compliance, reporting and internal controls, while running the Foreship CFO office takes up plenty of my time.

How did you choose your career, and what steps have you taken on your path to date?

I did have a plan for my career at the beginning, but things don’t often go as planned. At 19, I thought that in five years I would already have graduated from the university, and I’d be pursuing a career perhaps in the banking sector. But at 24 I was on the other side of the world with a newborn baby, and I had not even graduated!

As I see it, life has given me interesting opportunities and I have always dared to be different; my curiosity has led me along my career pathway.

For me, the important thing has been to consistently develop my skills. Whether by studying languages, or learning about strategy, AI or Industrial Engineering and Management, I have always wanted to challenge myself and go beyond my comfort zone.

There is clearly a gender gap in the maritime industry, and the sector hasn’t been an obvious choice for women. What inspired you to join?and continues to inspire you in your position today?

There is a gender gap, but to me, it has never been an issue. I’ve always considered the industry from the perspective of what it has to offer. This industry just happens to be male dominated, but I’ve never seen that as any kind of an obstacle.

I draw my inspiration from my fantastic CFO Office team - Anne, Viola and Hetal. I am also happy to have incredible colleagues at all Foreship offices. Through the good times and the challenging ones, I’ve been privileged to work with the best people.

What we have is the ‘Foreship spirit’ – something which I’d say would be hard to find at ?any other workplace.

Can you give any examples of how things have developed in your time, and what more would you like to see in the near future?

The industry has gone through significant and exciting changes in recent years, with increasing emphasis on sustainability, decarbonization and energy saving. Foreship is a frontrunner in this field and guides its clients towards the best solutions.

In my own role, digitalization has had a major impact. When I joined Foreship, we had more paperwork and manual processes, but many of these have been automated. I am curious about the additional opportunities digitalization and AI can offer.

What advice would you give to women considering a career in maritime?

Be curious, dare to be different – step outside your comfort zone and explore what’s there for you. It is good to listen to others but never let anyone else’s opinions decide the choices you make; you know what is best for you.

Develop your skills along your career path; nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities available and the maritime industry offers inspiring and fascinating possibilities. Be brave, bold and take the chance!

For more information on Foreship please visit our website. To see more of the Women at Foreship series, follow Foreship Ltd. on LinkedIn.