Claudia Paschkewitz, director of sustainability, inclusion and diversity at Columbia Group, writes for Splash today.
Diversity that begins and ends with gender is not diversity at all. It is only one piece of a much bigger picture.
Whenever the maritime industry talks about diversity, the conversation almost always starts with gender. That is understandable, because gender imbalance is visible and it matters. That focus has been valuable and necessary, and it must continue, but the conversation also needs to expand.
In my experience, leadership is shaped by far more than gender. Nationality, language, culture, age, and neurodiversity all play a part in who gets heard and who feels they belong. These things influence how people think, how they communicate, and how others respond to them. Yet we rarely talk about them, and that silence keeps some of the best people on the margins.
Nationality and language, for example, have an enormous effect on inclusion. I have seen how much confidence and opportunity can hinge on how easily someone expresses themselves in English, or how closely their communication style matches what is considered professional. A different accent, a quieter manner, or a different way of speaking can unfairly shape how capable a person is perceived to be. It is subtle, but it is powerful.
The same is true for neurodiversity. Many people in maritime have extraordinary technical or analytical abilities, but the environments we create often suit only one type of personality or working style. We do not talk enough about how neurodiverse minds contribute to problem solving and innovation. We need to design leadership development in a way that values those different strengths rather than forcing everyone to fit one definition of what a leader should look like.
Generational perspectives are another area where we can learn more from each other. Younger colleagues often bring a desire for collaboration, purpose, and flexibility, while those with longer experience tend to value structure, discipline, and technical depth. Both are essential. Yet we sometimes treat these differences as conflict rather than opportunity.
Background, education, and disability also influence who can take part fully and progress into leadership roles. Many senior positions are still filled through familiar networks or traditional career paths, which can make it hard for those who arrive through a different route to be recognised.
If we want to build a genuinely inclusive maritime sector, we have to broaden our understanding of what diversity means. A leadership team that looks balanced in one way but thinks and behaves the same way is not diverse. It is just different in appearance. What matters is creating an environment where people with varied experiences and perspectives can lead in their own way and be respected for it.
True inclusion takes self-awareness and honesty. It means asking who is not in the room, who is not being heard, and what we can do differently to change that. Inclusion is not about ticking a box or following a social trend. It is about making our industry stronger, more resilient, and more innovative.
Maritime connects every part of the world, yet our leadership conversations often remain narrow. If we can expand them to reflect the full range of people who make this industry work, then by 2030 we might finally see a leadership culture that truly represents the world we serve.
