Ms. Karin Orsel, co-founder and CEO of the MF
Shipping Group based in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has been selected
to receive the 2025 IMO Gender Equality Award.
The Award is bestowed on individuals who
have made significant contributions to advancing gender equality and the
empowerment of women in the maritime sector.
The IMO Council endorsed Ms. Orsel as next
year's recipient during its 133rd session held in London from 18 to 22 November
2024. The ceremony to present the Award will take place in May 2025,
alongside celebrations for the International Day for Women in Maritime (18
May).
IMO Gender Equality
Award
The IMO Gender Equality Award was established
to recognize individuals, irrespective of their gender, who have made
significant contributions to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of
women in the maritime sector. The first nominations were made in 2023, for the 2024 award.
Authenticity and
courage
Members of the assessment panel for the Award
emphasized Ms. Orsel’s “longstanding commitment to positive change, with true
authenticity and courageously standing up for what she believed was right in
the face of adversity.”
Ms. Orsel began working in the industry aged
18 and co-founded the MF Shipping Group aged 23. The ship management company
has since grown from managing just six ships, to a fleet of more than 55
vessels with over 1,000 seafaring crew members and 80 office staff.
As CEO for more than 20 years, she has
strived to achieve an inclusive culture at her company, recruiting diverse
talent, offering mentorship opportunities and actively supporting programmes
and initiatives that promote diversity in maritime.
She previously served as President of the
Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) and WISTA The Netherlands, in
addition to being a member of the board of key maritime bodies, including the
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Association of
Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) and the Royal Association of Netherlands
Shipowners (KVNR).
She currently serves as President of the
European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) and Chair of the
International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), leveraging her
positions to advocate for gender equality, seafarer welfare and sustainability
measures in the industry.