Yachting....You Have A Problem
Rebecca Whitlocke
Marketing & PR Services targeting high-net-worth clients | Copywriting for yachting & luxury brands that challenges the status quo | Founder at Antibes Yachting
You may have seen the advertising world’s uproar at the Campaign Brief’s?'The Work 2024', featuring zero women.
Aside from the fact it was a pay-to-play model, we could create a similar overview today in the yachting industry.
HERE'S A SNAPSHOT IN 2024:
?? 7 interviews with brokers, all men interviewed by Superyacht Investor
?? 16 podcast interviews, all men by MIDA
?? My inbox has 4 newsletters received from IBI News featuring 18 articles; 16 of these were interviewing men by International Boat Industry
?? 6 females out of 30 event speakers at the upcoming The Gulf Superyacht Summit by SuperYacht Times , see below for what this looks like visually...it's rather lame of me to revert to stereotypical blue and pink circles, but you get the idea.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
I am not on a hate campaign against men, or the individual speakers, the specific media or the events. Some of these speakers on these panels are friends and acquaintances, some of these media are highly respected.
My post isn't aimed at stirring controversy, but a gritty call to see its evolution - this post is highlighting the normality of these situations.
This is just a TINY segment of 71 public opportunities to be visible in the media, and just 8 were given to women and the gap increases even more if you are not a man over 35 years of age.
Need more visuals, take a look:
and here....
REAL COMMENTS SAID TO ME FACE-TO-FACE BY MEN (I will not be tagging the individuals here on Linkedin):
??One organiser of a panel: ?
“We don’t invite women, because, frankly the men are the experts.”
??Another male CEO:
“To have 22% women at events is actually very good compared to other industries.”
??Another event organiser: ?
“We simply can’t find any women who are available.”
??Another organiser: ?
“All the women were busy.” ?
↗? This would be my favourite of all excuses when planning an event schedule!
领英推荐
?? One media CEO is ghosting me when I recommend female business owners in yachting for his team to interview.
The only diversity report specifically for the superyacht industry - one edition released a few years ago by She of the Sea - surveyed less than 30 companies and almost 32,000 crew. The main reason given for this lack of data was GDPR compliance and privacy. BOAT International Media also teamed up with Superyacht Recruitment for a People & Skills survey, again, results came from less than 500 people. (Maritime SheEO published a 2023 report but focused on shipping and offshore).
Yet, this year during Cannes Lions, one seminar I attended for a different industry discussed a DEI report with results from interviewing 130,000 people in 90 markets. Mind-boggling.
At Lions, I listened to panels with people who are using data segmentation and artificial intelligence to eliminate bias, these are companies reaching millions of customers daily. I don’t think those data sets even exist in the superyacht sector.?
Most importantly, all the sessions talking about diversity, equality and inclusion actually had panelists representing those very groups.
Tell me, how can the yachting industry keep serving this overdone cycle about inclusion in the industry, then actively turn a blind eye to the opinions and opportunities to share their perspectives publicly? ?If females - and other underrepresented people - can’t drive positive change and conversation within it, how can we expect to do the same outside of it??
If you’re wondering why there’s a?lack of women in senior leadership roles, and top talent across?media, boatbuilding, or maritime tech take a look at the news page of most flagship yachting media and look at the next industry newsletter that drops in your inbox.? As some comments say, "We should be lucky to be invited."
The issue is not solely about diversity itself; it’s because the industry tolerates?and feeds this.?
As we head to the end of 2024, few people are looking at yachting media, newsletters and panels filled with men and thinking "Oh shit, we’ve still got a problem."
Men: Show your daughters, wives, partners, sisters my amateur graphics with the blue and pink circles. Ask them: "What does this represent to YOU?". Then, show your sons and ask them, "What can we do better?" If you're on these panels, step up and recommend a female colleague who has merit to also be on that panel.
Event Organisers & Sponsors: Walk the talk. The industry has a tendency to stick to comfortable patterns and this antiquated mentality driven by pay-to-play panels is stifling innovation and growth because you're not reaching out to underrepresented groups for speaking opportunities. You would think there's a core group of just 8 female business leaders in yachting - who have already done the rounds with every yachting event and media interview that exists. Open your eyes and stimulate outreach beyond Europe and the US.
Marketers: Females in marketing departments - speak up and say no when someone tells you to use that over $exualised image of a bikini babe draped over the sundeck in the next marketing campaign. Know what you stand for, and stand true to your beliefs and values. This isn't a sports ad from 1984.
Media: Stop ghosting strong, independent and intelligent women who are ready to share their perspective and tell their stories. I'm beyond tired of reading about females who just got into a role due to family connections, so stop using that as your only angle for writing or discussing female leadership and success. The next generation is watching closely and you're making yachting unappealing and uninspiring. I have numerous ideas for interesting stories about females in maritime - I'm ready if you are, send me a DM :)
Stakeholders/Investors: Female-led businesses face unique challenges in accessing capital (this isn't just for yachting but most industries). This lack of investment is a barrier for maritime startups. Interestingly, I recently read a funding summary for 8 maritime businesses which have received €129 million in seed funding - all were male-founded companies. Invest in women, because female business owners seem to currently be relegated to pitch competition for mini-grants and micro business incubators.
All of the above are just some of the reasons we have Women’s Yachting Awards and Women in Maritime conferences - they are driven by women, organised by women and to celebrate and recognise women because it won’t happen otherwise. Women are building their own financial and emotional ecosystems within the industry.
Media is a mirror of our industry. We’ve got to focus on the cause, not the symptom. We are a better industry than this. ?Thank you to the ones chipping away every day for a better future and a voice for young people coming behind us.
It’s not every day I have a huge rant, but if women put tools down today in the shipyards and engine rooms, or walked out of the office and stopped working, the drop in productivity would make you all sit up and take action. As one person said, "If you're threatened by a brilliant female, employ her as your CEO, because she will do all the work and take none of the credit."
I really hope that I'm not writing this same article in the next 3.5 years.
Here's a reminder of past discussions:
The Truth Economy: Uncovering Diversity In Yachting: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/truth-economy-uncovering-diversity-yachting-rebecca-whitlocke/
Yachting International Radio discussed truth bombs about diversity in yachting: https://youtu.be/0p_I5a7x4EI?si=UuFksk17XX4KGDoY
Burgess Diversity Series on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5FqSkFrMK1pbuRDC6kMNAm?si=3n6nXfVeQ-mUhcDX8GhCAw
The PYA reveals more about the status of diversity and inclusion in yachting: https://www.pya.org/news/the-status-of-diversity-and-inclusion-in-yachting
MVAC LLC
2 个月I believe the best individual for the job is the one that should be hired D E I should not be a thought in any company.
All things Yachting, International, French Riviera and Monaco - Freelancer, Marketing and Design, Proof Reading, Event Planning, Administrative & PA Support, Outreach & Hostess
2 个月Diveristy in the yachting sector, its almost an oxymoron! Cecause lets face it, this isn't just about being female. As I keep harping on, people of colour, different ethnicities, people with disabilities are not reflected within the industry. you only have to look at the woeful facilities at yachts shows to know that disabled friendly doesn't exist. Sadly the industry has a long way to go and I think we will be saying the exact same thing in 3.5 yrs because we've been saying it for longer than that already
Chief of Staff
2 个月Bravo Rebecca! As a woman who left a great career in Phoenix as a commercial real estate broker to move to South Florida and support of my love for boats and warm blue water, I’m fairly new in the yachting industry. I’ve spent my entire career in male-dominated industries, so it’s nothing new. However, voices like yours light the path for improvement and change. Thank you!
Private Estate & Superyacht Chef
2 个月Good for you for chasing them down.
AKDev Group | We help Maritime companies create and develop best-in-class digital solutions to improve business agility and efficiency
3 个月Great point! The lack of diversity in both advertising and yachting is a real issue. For example, many yachting events still have very few women represented. It's important for industries to be more inclusive and reflect different voices.