TOP WOMEN IN MARITIME Who Are the Women Making a Difference?

2020 TOP WOMEN IN MARITIME

With the maritime industry striving to increase diversity and bring more women into its ranks, we wrap up 2020 in a new way by bringing to you our list of Top Women in Maritime. Our editorial team has carefully selected these 16 women of varied backgrounds, ages and locations with nominations given by those in the industry. We asked them to tell us what brought them into maritime and what lessons they would care to share.

LINDSAY MALEN-HABIB

Client Services Manager, Resolve Marine, and President of American Salvage Assocation

Malen–Habib brings over 15 years’ experience to Resolve Marine Group, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She is also the founder of the first U.S. chapter of YoungShip Texas and is an active member of WISTA FL. She has been elected as the first woman on the leadership committee of the American Salvage Association and has now been appointed its first female president. She has represented TITAN Salvage as its director of business development, including the Costa Concordia wreck removal, the largest wreck removal to date.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

LM: I started my career working in a small family business and helped it expand internationally. After leaving the family business and going into the salvage industry, I had the honor to work for a large company, Titan Salvage. Outside the salvage industry, my hardest and most rewarding job is to be a widowed mother balancing work and life for the past five years. This year has presented challenges I never expected as I became a homeschool teacher, stay-at-home mom, and full-time client services manager.

MARY MCCARTHY

Director of Safety and Quality Systems, Canal Barge Inc. McCarthy was appointed to her current role at Canal Barge Company Inc., New Orleans, La., in 2018. She leads the six-member Safety and Quality Systems team with the goal of improving the safety culture and use of quality tools across all of its operations. She joined the company in 2010 and served in various roles. Before joining Canal Barge, she worked for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), primarily as Manager of Government Affairs, beginning in 2006. She is active in industry organizations and is currently Chair of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association and is Co-Founder and President of ADMIRALTY (a networking group for young people in the maritime industry).

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

MC: Get as close to the heart of the organization you’re working in as you can. Since fewer women start their careers as mariners and field workers, sometimes it can be harder for us to move quickly into those meaty operations and commercial roles, but there are a lot of avenues to get there.

MELINA RAMSEUR

Administrative Assistant, Kirby Inland Marine and Kirby Offshore Marine

While living in Brazil, Ramseur received a bachelor’s degree in translation at Sao Paulo State University. After arriving in the U.S., she learned English and is now fluent in four languages. She pursued a Business Administration degree at Perimeter College at Georgia State University. There, she became a member of Alpha Beta Gamma—an international organization created to honor outstanding Business Administration students at two-year institutions of higher learning.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

MR: I am very pleased to have started my maritime career six years ago at Kirby Marine Transportation. Kirby is the largest tank barge operator in the U.S., transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River system, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, along all three U.S. coasts, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Kirby has thought me so much about the maritime industry and it has led me to pursue different projects through the years. One endeavor that I am very proud of is being a board member of WIMOs (Women in the Maritime Opera-

tions) for the Houston Chapter as its secretary.

HOLLY NORMAND

Dry Cargo Sales Rep,

Ingram Barge Normand began working for Ingram Barge in 2006 at the Reserve location in customer service, handling barge and vessel logistic in the Gulf region. In 2014, she moved to vessel operations and managed Ingram’s fleeting facility in Port Allen for three years. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Ingram Barge’s fleet is made up of more than 150 towboats, ranging up to 10,500 hp., and nearly 5,000 hopper and tank barges.

She also serves as the executive president on the board of WIMOs and serves as a board member on Mississippi Valley Trade and Transportation Council Board to promote commerce throughout the Mississippi River system by bringing together the broad spectrum of river users and related transportation entities and by providing this core leadership timely information and the value of a closely integrated and professional industry network.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

HN: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This does not show weakness. Showing your drive to learn will earn you more respect than you will ever know! We all had to start somewhere.

LOIS ZABROCKY

President and CEO, International Seaways

NAA DENSUA ARYEETEY

Head, Shipper’s Services & Trade Facilitation, Ghana Shippers’ Authority

Zabrocky has been President and CEO of International Seaways since 2016. The company owns and operates a fleet of 38 vessels. Previously, Zabrocky served as senior vice president for the predecessor company’s International Flag strategic business unit. Previously, she was COO, with responsibility for international flag crude, products, and gas businesses. Zabrocky currently serves on the board of directors of Tidewater Inc. and ITOPF Limited, a not-for-profit ship pollution response advisor.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

LZ: My proudest successes have arisen from long-term customer and partner collaborations where Seaways has built the trust to achieve exceptional outcomes. Seaways has been an owner and partner of the largest leading VLCC pool, Tankers International, for 20 years. We have held contracts of affreightment and enjoyed joint venture partnerships for decades. In each of these cases, Seaways and its predecessor company, OSG, demonstrated a highest level of service to maintain and enhance these relationships. A key example was a newbuilding project where we created a win-win outcome with our Korean yard partners, adjusting a ship order five times and saving $50 million.

ANNA WHITTEMORE

Vice President Sales & Logistics, Gulf-inland at Marquette Transportation Whittemore graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy as a USCG Licensed Marine Engineer. Her career started in South Korea at the world’s largest shipyard, Hyundai Heavy Industries, where she oversaw the construction and commissioning of deepwater drillships for Noble Drilling. She later moved her career shoreside, becoming a technical project manager for marine propulsion systems at Karl Senner LLC. And today, she’s at Marquette Transportation Company in New Orleans. She is an active member of numerous industry networking groups, including the role of president of the Southern Louisiana Chapter of WIMOs.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

AW: For other women who plan to enter this industry, I would offer them the advice to never give up and stay passionate. Always have an open mind and a want to learn more. Career risks are worth taking to create a well-rounded understanding of the entire industry. I would also encourage all women entering the industry to promote the industry to other women. The networking bond that can and has been created by the women in this industry today is unbreakable.

Naa, who has 29 years of industry experience, founded WISTA Ghana in 2010 and became its first president. In 2020, Naa initiated the Focus Group that consists of WISTA International, the International Maritime Organization, the National WISTA Associations in Africa, and the IMO-established WIMAs in Africa, to strengthen cooperation and share best practices as well as implement an initiative that will be replicated in other regions, and it is expected to help in giving more women participation in the maritime industry.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

NA: For me, a success story is one that has had the intended impact. For example, mentoring the young ladies in the maritime industry and seeing them have the confidence in making presentations at conferences and setting up mentoring groups. When I entered the maritime industry, there was no role model to look up to or who could mentor me in the organization. I learned by sheer hard work and education and by depending on male colleagues for guidance. It was therefore an opportunity to be there to provide support and guidance to the younger women who came later. I find a sense

of satisfaction in this as the maritime industry is still male dominated.

JENNIFER CARPENTER

President and CEO, American

Waterways Operators Carpenter joined AWO in August 1990 and came into her current role in January 2020. Before assuming her current position, she worked her way up the hawsepipe from government affairs assistant to executive vice president and chief operating officer, holding a series of progressively responsible positions. She served for 13 years as a member of the congressionally authorized Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC). She has received two Meritorious Public Service Awards and a Public Service Commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard for her contributions to TSAC and the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

JC: Go for it! Maritime is a key part of our nation’s essential critical infrastructure. It’s vital to our national, homeland and economic security. It’s the most-fuel efficient and has the lowest carbon footprint of any surface transportation mode. For all those reasons, a healthy domestic maritime industry is more relevant and important than ever. Are there headwinds and choppy waters to navigate? Absolutely. And, we need diverse talent and fresh thinking to help us meet them.

ERIN HARTQUIST

Division Manager for the Americas, ABB Marine & Ports

KATHY METCALF

President and CEO, Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA)

In this role, Hartquist is leading ABB Marine & Ports Division throughout Americas focusing on activities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Panama. She has a strong financial background and has held several regional and global roles within ABB, where she has been for over 12 years. Hartquist holds an MBA from Florida International University and has completed an executive education program at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

EH: I am proud of my career at ABB and the hard work that I have contributed to our team’s success. But I am mostly proud of being part of a real movement in the maritime industry—the shift to more sustainable maritime operations. I have been involved in several aspects of our recent projects with Maid of the Mist and with Washington State Ferries, which are a clear indication of how the industry is ready to adopt new technologies. We believe that vessels will be electric, digital, and connected in the near future, and I am excited to be leading a fantastic team to make that happen.

ALLY CEDENO

Founder and President, Women Offshore Foundation Cedeno is a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y., and a 2020 graduate of Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business with an MBA. She is licensed as a chief mate of unlimited tonnage vessels and dynamic positioning operator. Her experience on the water spans both the maritime and offshore energy industries over the last 12 years. She spent much of her career at sea as one of the only women on the vessels she has worked on. She was determined to change that with Women Offshore Foundation, an online organization and resource center for a diverse workforce on the water.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

AC: I tell women who plan to enter the shipping industry to go for it! I cheer them on, providing resources to pursue their career dreams. At the same time, I tell them that it will be challenging, and while they could be the only woman on board, they are not alone as I often felt in my own career. It’s important to build a network early. Metcalf was appointed to her position in June 2015. Prior to that, she served as CSA’s director of maritime affairs from 1997 to 2015. A 1978 Kings Point graduate, she has served in positions that include service as a deck officer aboard large oceangoing tankers, then shoreside as a marine safety and environmental director, corporate regulatory and compliance manager and state government affairs manager.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

KM: One of my most proud moments was graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the first class that included women. Another was being a part of a great industry with wonderful people, and developing advocacy strategies that represent industry needs and concerns to ensure smart legislation and regulations are developed with which the industry can comply. I’m also proud of the opportunities to work with all levels of governments including the UN/IMO, national governments (U.S. and others) and other advocacy groups representing the maritime industry. Finally, becoming a team player with the global

maritime industry and its advocates.

MARCIA BLOUNT

President and CFO,

Blount Boats Inc. Blount has held her role at Blount Boats, Warren, R.I., since 2007. She earned her MBA from Columbia University. Founded as Blount Marine Corporation in 1949 by Blount’s father, Luther H. Blount, a leading innovator in the shipbuilding industry, the company is privately held and managed by the Blount family. She has negotiated contracts for over 53 vessels built at the Blount yard. Recent deliveries include a passenger/vehicle ferry for South Ferry Company and an icebreaking tug for the New York Power Authority. A crew transfer vessel, the Atlantic Endeavor designed by Chartwell Marine and built for Atlantic Wind Transfers, was launched in November. Blount is currently building an icebreaker/buoy tender for the state of Maryland. Blount is currently building an icebreaker/buoy tender for the state of Maryland.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

MB: I believe there are wonderful opportunities for women in the commercial shipping industry. However, many opportunities require an excellent technical education in engineering or finance.

SARAH DEARING

Vice President of Estimating, Callan Marine

MARIA BORG BARTHET

Partner, Campbell Johnston Clark

Dearing currently manages the Capture Division of Callan Marine, which includes the marketing, business development, and estimating departments. She is a 12-year veteran of the dredging industry. Her roles have included both field-based and office staff work, ranging from project engineer and engineering manager to estimating manager. She has previously served on the WEDA Safety Commission, and the WEDA Gulf Coast Board of Directors. She has a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from Texas A&M University.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

SD: I have to say that I’m most proud of watching the growth of other young women who I’ve mentored or been part of a team with. It’s so important that we, not just as women, but also as industry members, build each other up. That’s not to say that we don’t recognize our mistakes, but that we take ownership of them, learn, grow, and move forward. Knowing that I was a small part of enabling others’ successes and shaping our industry is the greatest gift.

DESPINA THEODOSIOU

President, WISTA, and CEO, TOTOTHEO Maritime Theodosiou is joint CEO of TOTOTHEO MARITIME. As president of WISTA, she has been instrumental to its success in receiving consultative status at the IMO in 2018. She is a board member of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation, and Invest Cyprus. She also sits on the Board of Governors of the Cyprus Maritime Academy and the Strategic Committee of Crans Montana–Club of Ports. In 2020, she was elected as a member to the general committee of the Association of SA and Limited Companies in Greece and as head of its shipping sector committee.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

DT: I would say welcome! This is a dynamic, international and varied industry that offers huge opportunities for all. There are new pressures— social, regulatory and technology ones—that are influencing what was once a traditional sector. But now it is a part of societal transformation, more progressive and diverse. As a woman entering this industry at this time, you can make a real difference and be a part of this change. Barthet provides legal advice on all aspects of wet and dry shipping litigation, including bill of lading and charter party disputes, marine insurance, collisions, salvage and other casualty-related matters at the law firm’s London office. She also deals with international trade law and commodities, notably the interaction between the sale and carriage contracts, issues arising under CIF/FOB sale contracts and letter of credit transactions.

ML: What successes are you most proud of in terms of your maritime career?

MB: Success is often depicted as something of certain grandeur. However, when I look back, it’s the small things that add up and make the success. My decision to stay in the U.K. and accept a teaching job at the University of Southampton was a life-changer in so many ways. Unintentionally, that experience opened up so many doors career-wise. From teaching in Southampton to private practice in London, I spent five years building foundations at an excellent law firm. Both these experiences, and my very first shipping mentor back in Malta, gave me the tools to contribute to starting what is now a fantastic law firm in its 10th

year and has grown.

CATHRINE MARTI

CEO, Ulstein Marti was named Ulstein’s new CEO, taking over from Gunvor Ulstein who has decided to step down from the role after 22 years, back in October. Marti commenced her new role November 2, while Gunvor Ulstein will remain actively involved through her role as chair of Ulsmo, the parent company of Ulstein Group based in Norway. Prior to this, Marti held the position of CFO, a role which she has held for six years, and has extensive maritime experience including significant stints at Höegh Autoliners and DnB Shipping & Offshore. She holds a master’s degree in economics from the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole/McGill University.

ML: What would you tell other women who plan to enter the commercial maritime industry?

CM: My best advice to both men and women would be to work hard towards your goals, share successes with your colleagues, but face mistakes alone. Be upfront, honest and maintain your integrity. I don’t believe your job should be your whole life, but it is easier to do a good job, when you enjoy what you do.