dship Carriers “Walking the Walk” on Female Inclusion

A now-regular fixture at Breakbulk events, the Women in Breakbulk Breakfast exemplifies our commitment to supporting female professionals in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

The popular get-together is an opportunity for delegates to connect with colleagues, foster new relationships and listen to inspiring speakers. Our meeting at Breakbulk Americas 2022 in Houston will be sponsored by Hamburg-based maritime transport specialist, dship Carriers.

Speaking to Breakbulk, Dea Chincuanco, dship’s assistant vice president – commercial and chartering North America, said she was looking forward to some “real talk” at this year’s breakfast on 28 September.

“A lot of the time our work is very demanding – we get quite busy with our directives and our on-demand tasks,” Chincuanco said. “And, especially since the pandemic, the opportunities of meeting and exchanging ideas and understanding trends have, quite frankly, narrowed down.”

The executive was quick to point out that dship’s sponsorship of this year’s breakfast was no token gesture. The company’s record in gender equality speaks for itself, she said, with half of its chartering group made up of women.

dship’s president, Lars Feller, noted this balance is further reflected globally in both chartering and operations – a source of the organization’s strength.

“We are not just sponsoring the event, we are walking the walk,” Chincuanco said.

“When we say we are proponents of women in breakbulk and in leadership, this is not just about us waving the flag. It is a result of the recognition of our capability and expertise in the field.”

While the sector has made some progress in recent times, with more women now in leadership and influential roles, there is still a long way to go. Chincuanco, who began her career in project logistics almost two decades ago, pointed to significant mid-career attrition in the sector.

A recent study by the Gartner Group, for example, revealed that female professionals this year account for 19 percent of C-level positions in the average supply chain organization, up from 15 percent last year.

But the same study showed the total number of women working across the supply chain had slipped from 41 percent to 39 percent. Retaining mid-career female professionals had become an increasing problem, it added.

“If we are progressing our women in the mid-career level, but we are also losing them, then what does that say? That says there is a bottleneck there. Once one gets to a directorship level for example, the tendency is that there may not be room to move up to the C-suite, or one may have to go someplace else to at least be on track for consideration.”

“I would say there is truly a challenge there.”

Events such as the Women in Breakbulk Breakfast, part of our wider Women in Breakbulk networking platform, are an opportunity to discuss these challenges, share insight and rally the next generation of female leaders.

Chincuanco, for one, is keen for her female counterparts to get involved.

“It is about championing for each other. If we can continue to foster this together, then we can be heard more. And if women attend, it will have an impact.”

Breakbulk Americas 2022 will take place on 27-29 September at the George R. Brown Convention Centre in Houston. The Women in Breakbulk Breakfast, sponsored by dship Carriers, is on 28 September, 9:30am-10:45am at the Marriott Marquis – River Oaks Ballroom, 3rd Floor.

To register for Breakbulk Americas 2022, click here.

To find out more about joining our Women in Breakbulk networking platform, click here.

PHOTO: Women in Breakbulk Breakfast, Breakbulk Europe 2022.