WISTA UAE
This time we are interviewing our own Jasamin Fichte as she and her fellow female colleagues from the shipping industry are very excited about having finally established WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association) in the UAE and the men in our office were keen to know what that exactly means.

1. So what is WISTA UAE all about? Do men need to worry about their future in the maritime industry?
WISTA UAE is the national branch of WISTA Ltd., an international organization for women in management positions in the shipping and transport industry. By forming WISTA UAE we are able to connect the Ladies in our industry here in the UAE with more than 2500 other members in more than 25 countries.
Our main objective is to attract women to the industry and support the ones in the management positions by providing networking opportunities and continuous education.

2. How and why was WISTA introduced to the UAE?
Women in the shipping industry in the Middle East, whether nationals or expats, face the same problems and feel often very isolated as we do not have many shipping organizations that provide networking opportunities. Also it is hard to recruit women, as professionals from Overseas still associate the Middle East with lack of freedom, headscarves and a general repression of women and that has to be changed.
National women, however, do not find the access to the industry as shipping is still considered a male environment and education on this side is necessary as well.

So with establishing WISTA UAE we manage to provide a platform for the existing female work force as well as encouraging further ladies to join the industry.

3. What is the criteria/profile for someone to join WISTA?
A network is only as good as its members so there are two steps a potential member has to go through in order to qualify:
1.     The Lady has to be in a senior position representing either Shipowners, Charterers, Brokers, Agents, Insurers, Marine personnel, Lawyers, Banking & Finance, Risk management, Consultants, Shipyards, Industry Organisations  or Suppliers.
2.    She has to be recommended by a fellow member and demonstrate her potential value for WISTA UAE as we are planning on making a change. The executive committee will then decide whether she will be accepted.

4. Any projects in the pipeline?
WISTA UAE is in the start up phase but will be providing regular monthly networking events for members and also carrying out projects to raise awareness. The first step will be to market WISTA UAE towards the shipping industry in the Middle East as there are many more Ladies that should be joining us. The projects will focus on attracting more female qualified personnel to the industry, both from the Middle East as well as from overseas. But we are also planning on providing training facilities for young local ladies and will approach the industry with these projects soon.

5. How does your group contribute to the women's role in the business society?
This brings us back to the aim of the organisation. Due to its inherent nature and historical background, shipping industry has always been a men’s world and very few women had an opportunity to get up to the management level of the shipping industry. Now as the industry is developing WISTA UAE aims to not only educate the sharp brains but also promote them in the industry.  It should not matter whether you are male or female, it should only matter whether you are doing a good job!

6. Do you have any connections/affiliations with any other organizations?
Whilst WISTA Ltd has already agreements with organizations such as BIMCO in place, WISTA UAE will definitely develop its own ties. One sure meeting will be with the UAE Shipping Association and there are many female organizations we are planning to get in touch with.

7. Congratulations on your nomination as the first president of the UAE chapter. What challenges does this role bring you and what would you like to achieve during your term.
As I was the one picking up the phone to WISTA Ltd my fellow members had no other choice but to nominate me! No, seriously in our first kick off meeting we decided that our organization is carried by all of us and the executive committee has a say as a team, I am not in any special position. The executive committee consists of Vandana Jaitly- Director of Cleghorn, Wilton & Associates, Miranda Strawbridge-Marketing Manager at Mubarak Marine and Isabel Contreras- Principal Surveyor at Noble Denton and we are aiming to get us stronger and to achieve an awareness of the role of women in the Middle Eastern shipping society.

8. How can a Lady become a member?
If you know of any Woman who would like to join us please pass my contact details on to her and I will forward her our application form. Also if an organisation wishes to sponsor WISTA UAE projects please feel free to contact me on Jasamin.fichte@fichtelegal.com

Many thanks for this interview and I am sure that we will hear more of WISTA UAE in the near future!

Interviewer - Ravi Jawani