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).
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.
(Photo from IMO)
