September 2021
‘WOMAN POWER' MAKES ITS PRESENCE FELT IN MARITIME MEDIA Women at Marex Media There isn't a lot of information available on the global numbers of women working in the maritime industry such as shipowners, ship managers, shippers, port authorities, regulatory agencies and the maritime media. But definitely, we are all aware that the maritime world has always been a male dominated industry. Thankfully, organisations like the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are now emphasising on more steps to bring gender equality to the industry. Firmly believing however that a woman is equally capable of handling just about anything and everything a man can, is the Founder-Owner & MD of the Mumbai-based shipping publishing house – Marex Media Private Limited, namely Capt. Kamal Chadha, who has appointed a majority of woman staff in his organisation. And we are proud to say that we are part of his team and leading from the front – The Joint CEOs of Marex – Mrs Sonia Parmar, Miss Delphine Estibeiro and Ms Kavitha V. Each one of us has risen organically to the top and jointly run the company. Probably, we are the only company to have all 3 women Joint CEOs. “Our collective expertise lies in Marketing, Editorial and Finance”, says Sonia who has spent nearly two decades in this organisation. Sonia, mother of two adorable daughters, feels that Marex is more a family than an organisation. Taking a trip down memory
Issue 3
Mrs Sonia Parmar lane, she says “being a fresher I was always encouraged and motivated to be independent in the decisions we make. It never felt like we had a male boss, as he was very proud of Women Power thriving in his organisation”. Speaking of her strengths, Sonia articulates, “Our little strengths that make us stronger is our creativity, dedication, respectfulness, determination, patience and never die attitude to always keep going, no matter what the situation”. “There are many memorable moments; one being when I was with my first child, Marex introduced the policy of fully-paid Maternity leave from 2003 onwards, which I think was way before most organisations even thought of it here in India”. Our company has always supported us in good and bad times; even during this pandemic we have managed to survive by
Page 27
