James Fisher and Sons : Celebrating International Women’s Day across James Fisher's global... 08 March 2022

08 March 2022

Celebrating International Women's Day across James Fisher's global locations

Activities are taking place around the James Fisher group in support of International Women's Day's #BreakTheBias campaign.

While James Fisher is committed to forging an inclusive work culture where women can thrive, International Women's Day is an opportunity celebrate women's achievements, and to encourage an open environment where women can speak openly about their experiences of bias and discuss how conscious and unconscious bias can be recognised and challenged by everyone.

This year's #BreakTheBias theme aligns with the group's focus on equity, diversity and inclusion and female representation more specifically. This is a key part of James Fisher's diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy which is being driven by a dedicated working group which brings together employees from across the company.

Jen Farrar, diversity and inclusion working group lead, says:

"As part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we believe in fostering a culture across the James Fisher group where everyone feels respected and supported to grow and thrive - where individuals feel they belong and their perspectives and contributions are acknowledged and celebrated.

"As such, it's vitally important we recognise and challenge the bias women unfortunately all too routinely face in their daily lives. Operating in what have traditionally been largely male-dominated industries and environments, we recognise the role we each have to play in ensuring women are treated fairly and impartially. This is an area of focus for the group throughout 2022 and beyond."

Lunch and coffee events throughout the week have been coordinated in areas of the group to empower and enable women to come together to discuss their experiences of bias, how they navigated it and how collectively we might help to eradicate it. These lunches are hosted in a number of divisions including Fendercare Marine, JF Rumic and JF Shipping Services, to give employees an open environment in which to discuss how we make take action to #BreaktheBias and show solidarity in support of women's equality.

Fendercare Marine has embraced International Women's Day by holding its largest lunch and coffee events to date. Its customers were in attendance across its international offices - in the UK, USA, Africa, Asia, South America, Middle East and India - to come together in a face-to-face setting to discuss their individual achievements and share their experiences of bias. As well as prioritising these lunches for its customers, Fendercare will also be holding a lunch at its London and Seething offices for all employees to attend. Although each lunch is taking place across different time zones, it demonstrates the group's efforts to join its sites together in solidarity of International Women's Day.

Driving the achievements of women and gender equality across the group's Asia Pacific region, James Fisher Renewables new vice president, Maida Zahirovic, says:

"One of the greatest lessons and encouragements I would like to share with women around the world is to continue listening to their core values and voicing their perspectives at all levels; to continue standing up and setting healthy boundaries, to encourage and support each other and share valuable lessons with each other. Our planet needs diversity to endure and so does humankind to overcome the climate challenges we are facing. Empowered female leadership rooted in inclusiveness and belonging forms an essential part of the sustainable journey our planet needs.

"Happy International Women's Day to all women around the world and let us together continue to break gender bias today for our daughters and sons tomorrow."

Helping to #BreakTheBias in the company's historically male-dominant environments, is ScanTech Offshore's, Ryan Harris, who shares his thoughts on the importance diversity and female representation in his team.

Ryan Harris, offshore service engineer at ScanTech Offshore Saudi Arabia, says:

"In the lead up to International Women's Day, we are excited to celebrate the fantastic women who work across our organisation and our team in the Middle East. I've had the pleasure of working with some inspiring women who help immensely in the successful day-to-day running of the region, while working for long periods of time away from family and friends in a very tough location. This job would not be possible without the help and support from our female colleagues who we are proud to have working here in the Middle East."