7^th December 2020 marked the 8^th Anniversary of WOMEN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AND TRADING ASSOCIATION, India. This association for women in managerial roles in the maritime sector was launched in India in 2012,  by  founder members SanjamSahi Gupta and SumiSahiDutt , Directors of Sitara Shipping Ltd. 

WISTA India has achieved many milestones by focusing on providing a platform for networking, sharing of knowledge, education through workshops/seminars and mentoring of young members to enhance their competence and also empower their career success.  To encourage and recognize  its’ members’ achievements, WISTA India  holds the “WISTA Personality of the Year Award” each year.  Over the years, WISTA has held events for its members that include visits to ports and container freight stations, opportunities to attend overseas conferences, seminars on current industry topics,  training programs for members’ professional development.

Commenting on the occasion of the 8^th Anniversary, SummiitCheema, current President of WISTA, India said “We at WISTA, India have consistently kept member care as our ethos and post pandemic we feel the need to further strengthen this quality about the association. She also mentioned that bearing in mind the pandemic situation, WISTA, India had a lot of events and initiatives around wellness, be it physical fitness or mental health. She further added that “our founder member SanjamSahi Gupta delivered a very successful Maritime SheEO conference on “Diversity and Sustainability” on 23^rd November 2020 that surpassed all barriers of geography, time zones and cultures”.

WISTA is driven by the core values of Gender Diversity and Equality and looking ahead WISTA India with the support of Maritime SheEO plans on making this a reality.

Founder Member and President Emeritus Sanjam has been a driving force for gender equality in the Maritime Industry not just in India but also overseas. Her vision was to make WISTA India a platform for women in the Indian Maritime Industry and quotes “A big Thank you to each of our members and the Indian maritime industry for always being there for us. With SummiitCheema at the helm, we will continue to grow leaps and bounds.”