The first panel of day two of the Maritime Information Services Shipping Summit, titled “Talent, Retention and Workforce Planning,” explored the growing challenge of attracting and retaining the next generation of maritime professionals.
Moderated by Punit Oza, President of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the discussion featured Dr Joanna-Eugenia Bakouni, Learning & Development Manager at Maersk Training; Emmanolia Kolias, Channel Director at Mintra; Heidi Heseltine, Founder and CEO of the Diversity Study Group; and Vivi Kolliopoulou, President of WISTA Hellas and Insurance Manager at Angelicoussis Group.
Oza opened the session by posing a question that framed the discussion: “Unless the awareness is built up, how can we attract talent to the industry?”
Kolliopoulou pointed to the importance of real-world engagement when introducing younger audiences to shipping. Through the work of WISTA Hellas, industry professionals regularly visit maritime academies and organise events aimed at explaining how the sector operates and the range of career opportunities available.
“I think instead of focusing on theory the best thing to do is give life examples,” she said, noting that experienced professionals are increasingly willing to share their knowledge with students and early-career professionals.
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Bakouni argued that the maritime industry continues to struggle with how it presents itself to potential entrants.
“The main problem of maritime is the problem of storytelling, which links to the problem of branding,” she said.
According to Bakouni, the sector still promotes an outdated image centred on seafaring, while the diversity of roles across operations, technology and management remains largely overlooked.
Kolias echoed the concern, highlighting a significant gap in awareness at the school level. Outreach initiatives linked to the Cyprus Maritime Academy have shown that even guidance counsellors often lack a basic understanding of the industry.
As a result, she said, the sector must first educate those advisers before they can effectively guide students toward maritime careers.
“I think when it comes to attraction, the awareness is absolutely not there,” Kolias said, stressing that stronger collaboration across the industry will be essential to address the issue.
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Heseltine turned the conversation toward workplace culture and the expectations of younger generations entering the labour market.
She argued that shipping companies must develop a clearer understanding of how new professionals want to be trained, managed and supported.
“We’ve got to understand what the new generation of people coming into shipping want, what is the culture they want,” she said, emphasising that organisations should remain mindful of these expectations when designing internal training and development strategies.
She also highlighted the pressure facing middle managers, who are frequently tasked with delivering strategic goals without the time or organisational space to reflect and implement meaningful change.
Heseltine suggested that companies should consider whether bringing in people with different professional backgrounds and skill sets could strengthen their competitive position.
The discussion underscored the need for clearer industry storytelling, deeper engagement with educational institutions and more deliberate recruitment strategies to secure the next generation of maritime talent.
