Establishment of WISTA Estonia confirmed

The establishment of WISTA Estonia was confirmed on the 25th of October 2023 in Uruguay. The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) is a global organisation connecting approximately 4000 female professionals from all sectors of the maritime industry. WISTA works towards to minimising the existing gender leadership gap in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors. The aims of WISTA are to build a community among its members by facilitating the exchange of contacts, information, and experiences, as well as providing liaison with other related institutions and organisations worldwide.

WISTA International is comprised of 56 National WISTA Associations (NWA’s). NWAs provide both in-country and regional networking, skill-building and business opportunities, and help to facilitate relationships within the industry and enhance corporate visibility.

Van Ameyde Krogius initiated a project to establish WISTA NWA in Estonia in the Krogius 150th year anniversary celebrated in 2022. This initiative started from discussion with Van Ameyde Krogius Marine Surveyor Getter Kaevandes after learning the association did not exist in any of the Baltics States and would be very much needed. Getter familiarised herself with activities of WISTA Finland and joined an event in Finland. WISTA Finland confirmed the support for the initiative from the very beginning and has been involved in the process of establishment.

During 2023 Getter connected with maritime industry members and found a total of 13 establishing members and we have drafted the Articles of Association for the national association of WISTA Estonia. We submitted the application on the 29th of September 2023 to WISTA International before the Annual General Meeting held last week in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay.

Getter Kaevandes, has made the following statement: “I believe establishing an association like WISTA Estonia has been long awaited. This was supported by the fact that at the same time as I started researching on how to establish a local branch of WISTA International in Estonia, it turned out that the active ladies from Estonian Transport Administration had been researching the same thing. Naturally, we joined forces and as of today a total of 13 like-minded ladies from all over the Estonian maritime industry have come together to create WISTA Estonia.

Maritime industry in all of its uniqueness is a huge industry, comprising of specialists from underwater to above water extending to shore; from shipping to logistics and trading. I feel that one of the key strengths of an organization like WISTA is bringing together the broad variety of various maritime specialists under one umbrella, creating a community for like-minded people to exchange knowledge and experience. The global extent of WISTA allows to network worldwide.

In Spring I had the privilege to attend WISTA Finland’s Spring Seminar, bringing together ladies from all over the Finnish maritime industry to discuss future and ideas without being judged or seen lesser for having an opinion in a historically male-dominated field. This further confirmed the need to have an organization like that in Estonia.

We are genuinely thankful to our northern sisters from WISTA Finland for helping us with the know-how and supporting us along the way, and to Van Ameyde Krogius for showing the initiative on encouraging equality in the maritime industry and supporting the establishment of WISTA Estonia.”