Celebrating International Women’s Day at Marcura
“At Marcura, we believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential to success, and that gender equality is not only a moral imperative, but also a business imperative.
“As a truly international employer with employees from more than 40 nations, we are proud of the progress we have made in addressing the historic gender imbalance in the maritime industry.
“We are particularly proud that 26% of our senior positions are held by women, and we remain committed to creating a workplace where all employees, regardless of their gender or background, have equal opportunities to grow and succeed. In just four years, we have increased the representation of women in our team from 19% to 31%, and we will continue to work towards achieving even greater gender diversity.
“On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women around the world and the contributions they make to our industry. We are inspired by their resilience, creativity, and leadership, and we are committed to supporting them every step of the way.
“We will continue to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees can thrive and reach their full potential.
“Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Marcura.”
Jens Poulsen, Founder and Group CEO at Marcura
What does embracing equity mean to you?
To mark International Women’s Day and the #EmbraceEquity theme for this year, we asked some of our team members to share what embracing equity means to them.
Lucy Lucas – Performance, Talent & Development Manager
“I am proud to work in a company that empowers the voice, progression, and achievement of women. It has been gratifying to observe and support women within a typically male-dominated industry, to be recognised and championed to achieve amazing things.
“Gender equity is a strong focus here, identified in the rising and increasing percentage of female employees year after year, and by actively encouraging and celebrating the creativity and innovation of our diverse workforce; the level playing field mentality ensures that Marcura’s culture stands out above the rest.
“As a woman working for Marcura, I feel respected for both my potential and my experience, and gain my inspiration from a spectrum of views, opinions, and educated beliefs that make up this organisation.”
Aline Torrens – HR Business Partner
“I am proud to work for a Group that is committed to promoting gender equity.
“Marcura has almost doubled its percentage of women since 2019, which is a great accomplishment. But what sets Marcura apart is its dedication to promoting gender equity in each of the 40 countries where it operates – regardless of local laws, cultures, expectations, or attitudes.
“At Marcura, women across all locations around the world are given every opportunity to excel and lead. We have women in top leadership positions who drive business units, and departments and build amazing teams. We know that in Marcura, we can achieve anything we set our minds to.
“I am proud to be part of a company that truly walks the talk when it comes to gender equity. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s continue to work towards a future where every woman has the opportunity to thrive in her career and achieve her dreams.”
Janani Yagnamurthy – Group Analytics Manager
“When we embrace equity, we’re creating an inclusive environment for diverse voices to be heard and a greater sense of belonging.
“A truly inclusive work culture ensures that every employee feels supported and respected, and provides a platform that enables them to reach their potential.”
Yvette du Preez – Sales Manager, Strategic & Enterprise Sales
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate who we are, our joys, and our challenges. We remember that we bring our skills, energy, and hearts to create equity for everyone, regardless of who they are.
“When everyone has the access to the same opportunities and rewards, then we have achieved equality in the workplace. This may seem like a bold thought given the complexity of the challenges that we are still facing in our world but we can achieve this by working together, empowering others, and giving everyone the best chance.
“Equity is not about us or them, it is about all of us.
“At Marcura I am treated with respect and I am surrounded by examples of strong, smart colleagues who bring their best to the table and are willing to empower others to do the same. And yes, in my sphere, quite a number of these colleagues are women.”
Sofia Drakou – General Manager, Operations
“Embracing equity for me means that everyone feels seen, and not othered or different. We should embrace individuality to ensure everyone feels valued.
“Each of us can contribute to this by appreciating and understanding that we are all unique.”
Emma Wilson – SVP, PortLog Commercial
“For me, embracing equity is about appreciating, embracing, and understanding people’s unique qualities and differences.
“Everybody has important qualities to bring, even if they are different from each other, and we need to be reminded of that and keep it top of mind.
“Progress has been made in the industry over the past 15 years, but there is still a way to go. It’s going in the right direction but we need to go faster.”
Vitória Pontes – Legal Counsel
“Marcura actively promotes and supports the advancement of women and ensures equity in the workplace, namely but not limited to observing inclusive hiring practices, offering equal opportunities, providing a supportive workplace, by giving the space to improve as a professional, and by promoting women to leadership positions across the dozens of countries we operate from.
“I feel lucky and proud to work every day with such brilliant, talented, and dedicated women!”
Mags Moroney – Business Development team member
“To me, embracing equity means embracing equality and inclusion. And with that, we should treat all individuals the same, regardless of their gender, where they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.
“All human beings deserve the same opportunities and the same human rights.”
Begum Namli – Group Procurement Manager
“For me, embracing equity means listening to everyone and explicitly promoting equality in all areas.
“It’s the only way to cross the borders in our minds and generate fair treatment in economic and social systems.
“I’m proud to work at Marcura as it supports equal opportunities and rights for everyone and has cultivated an inclusive working environment.
Kim Ahler – Managing Director, Marcura Nordics
“I am a great supporter of International Women’s Day, a day that represents the global movement for women’s rights, equality, and justice. As we celebrate this day, it’s clear the fantastic progress we have made over the years in advancing gender equality, both in our organisation here at Marcura and across the world. I’ve seen with my own eyes the solid progress we’ve made in Marcura.
“I’m proud to work at Marcura where we remain committed to promoting equity and inclusivity for all nationalities, cultures, people, and genders.”
[Note from website editor: If you’re wondering why Kim’s in our photo montage at the top of this page..… Following requests from Marcura’s women, we’re pleased to include quotes, and a pic, from two men in Marcura about International Women’s Day.]
Gizem Yavasbay – Senior Laytime Specialist
“To me, embracing equity means embracing a ‘round table’ setting where everyone is valued for simply being who they are. Women make up half of the world’s population. It is important to see more women in positions of power so future generations will have female role models to look up to.
“During a Townhall Meeting when I first joined, our CEO commented that our female employee percentage was not up to the mark, and it was the company’s target to get this up. I was pleased to hear these comments, and 2 years later I am now happy to see our executives make good on that promise.”
Duygu Altintas – Senior Laytime Specialist
“Embracing equity is the cornerstone of building a strong and diversified community.
“I believe that gender equity should be ensured in all areas of life, which will bring more success to all of us. I am proud of being a Marcurian, we are professional individuals who all work together and I feel lucky to work under the umbrella of this company.”
Learn more about Marcura’s vision and mission, including video interviews with Jens Poulsen, Marcura’s Founder and CEO.