October 8, 2020 — The representation of women on the boards of global seafood companies grew to 14.4 percent in 2020, up from 9.1 percent in 2016, according to a new analysis by International Organization for Women in the Seafood Industry (WSI).
WSI Executive Director Marie Christine Monfort told SeafoodSource that while this figure is the highest ever recorded, it represents just a modest improvement on previous years.
April 13, 2020 — The COVID-19 outbreak will impact women to a worse degree than men and deepen existing gender inequalities, according to a new analysis by WSI, The International Organization for Women in the Seafood Industry.
In addition to playing a major role in the global healthcare and care-giving workforce, women are also a key part of the food industry, and are currently working in more difficult circumstances than ever before, to maintain food security during the pandemic, the organization said.
May 9, 2019 — Speaking at a special event at Seafood Expo Global, Marie Christine Monfort, the executive director International Organisation for Women in the Seafood Industry (WSI) said women still face extraordinary obstacles in obtaining positions of leadership in the industry.
Monfort was taking part in the first ever “Women in Leadership in the Seafood Industry,” sponsored by expo organizer Diversified Communications and the Mission of Canada to the European Union, which took place on Wednesday, 8 May. Also participating was Tesa Diaz-Faes Santiago, director of communications for Grupo Nueva Pescanova; Dan Costello, Ambassador of the Mission of Canada to the European Union; Clearwater Seafoods CEO Ian Smith; British Columbia [Canada] Seafood Alliance Executive Director Christina Burridge; Sunrise Fish Farms Owner and General Manager Laura Halfyard; and Mary Larkin, president of Diversified Communications. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns and operates SeafoodSource].
The 90-minute event covered “What Government and the Private Sector Can do to Support the Inclusion and Advancement of Women in the Seafood Industry,” and panelists discussed their experiences and examples of what they are doing to attract, support, and promote women at all levels.
Monfort stressed the importance of including and advancing women in the industry – something she said is still not being done extensively, despite substantial data showing that doing so improves overall business performance.