Celebrity Cruises Mark International Women's Day 2020
BARRIER-BREAKING. HISTORY-MAKING. CELEBRITY CRUISES SET SAIL WITH FIRST-EVER ALL-FEMALE BRIDGE AND OFFICER TEAM
All-Female Officer Team on sheik-pad. Image Credit: Celebrity Cruises
Barrier-breaking crew comes together on International Women’s Day for first time since making HERstory one year ago
Women at Sea
While progress has been made, the reality is that only 2% of the world’s mariners are women. But not at Celebrity Cruises. The modern luxury brand is leading the industry into a more diverse future with their bold initiatives to #BRIDGEthegap. Now, the brand that made headlines by hiring the first American female cruise ship captain, Kate McCue, and again by announcing that 22% of their bridge teams are made up of women, continued with another historic milestone: the first-ever sailing with an entirely female bridge and officer team – including three British female crew members.
When and on Which Ship did the SAILING Take Place?
Celebrity Edge will make historic voyage with female-only Leadership Team. Image Credit Celebrity Cruises
The award-winning Celebrity Edge sailed out of Port Everglades and began its seven-day Caribbean journey, with retiring Pilot Boat Captain Cheryl Phipps, one of only a few female pilot boat captains in the country, leading the ship out to sea.
For the first time in maritime history, this historic sailing took place on International Women’s Day – 8th March 2020 – onboard the brand’s newest and award winning ship, Celebrity Edge. Captain McCue was at the helm and was accompanied by 26 other women, representing 16 different countries, to create an all-female Bridge and officer leadership team, including British First Officer Rachel Arnold From Bristol, British Cruise Director Sue Denning from Blackpool and British Guest Relations Director Jule Sherrington from Godalming – as well as Celebrity’s President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.
“We are all passionate about closing the gender gap,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “Over the last few years, we have worked hard to diversify the crew on board and bring more women than ever into our industry. None of this could have been possible without the leadership and shared vision of the extraordinary men and women I work with every day, led by Patrik Dahlgren and Brian Abel – who take this challenge to heart and have made it possible. We are fortunate to have many incredible, experienced and beyond-qualified women who have worked tirelessly to achieve these positions. And we also celebrate the many men who continue to support them and help champion having more women crew onboard.”
X Marks the Spot - Celebrity Cruises All-Female Leadership Team. Image Credit: Celebrity Cruises
Senior Vice President of Global Marine Operations for Royal Caribbean Crusies Ltd. Patrik Dahlgren, who has spearheaded Celebrity’s bridge diversification efforts under the leadership of Lutoff-Perlo, added: “Since 2015, we have raised the percentage of qualified women on our navigational bridges from 3% to 22%. Now, we hope this all-time industry-high will continue to grow; we just need more women to raise their hands for careers at sea, especially in engineering.”
“Excitement does not even begin to describe how I’m feeling about working alongside these incredible, barrier-breaking women on Celebrity Edge for this truly historic sailing,” added Captain McCue. “I am inspired every day by the amazing women we have working throughout this organization – both on land and at sea. They’re proof that there’s power in diversity.”
Who are the Female-Only Officers?
The all-women Bridge and leadership team for this historic sailing of Celebrity Edge represents 17 different countries, including:
Captain Kate McCue – USA
Staff Captain Maria Gotor – Spain
Hotel Director Niina Hautaniemi – Finland
Guest Relations Director Julie Sherrington – United Kingdom
F&B Director Byliana Velikova – Bulgaria
Senior Doctor Jennifer Bernardo – Philippines
Cruise Director Sue Denning – United Kingdom
Safety Officer Ionela Burduja – Romania
Associate Hotel Director Milana Dortangs – Netherlands
Revenue and Marketing Director Sarah Guinot – France
HR Manager Angel George – USA
Financial Controller Teresa de Guzman – Philippines
Chief Housekeeper Lyudmyla Miroshnychenko – Ukraine
Safety Investigation Officer Alexandra Villarreal – USA
Environmental Officer Maria Karoutsou – Greece
Chief Security Officer Mor Segev – Israel
Chief Officer Maria Koliou – Greece
Chief Officer Maria Agius – Malta
Doctor Sumaya Guffar – South Africa
First Officer Rachel Arnold – United Kingdom
First Officer Despoina Tsairi – Greece
Third Engineer Anna Avgoustaki – Greece
Second Officer Nicholine Tifuh Azirh, who was the first West African woman to ever work on the bridge of a cruise ship when hired in 2017 – Cameroon
Second Officer Ioana Tzovara – Greece
Third Officer Esperanza Romero – Spain
Third Officer Cassandra May Mead – New Zealand
Apprentice Officer Gifty Adu Gyami – Ghana
Around the world, only 2% of the world’s mariners are women. Celebrity Cruises made it a priority to #BRIDGEthegap, leading the maritime industry into a more diverse future and growing the number of women on their bridge teams from 3% to nearly 25% over the last few years, ultimately, making this historic moment possible.
“I fell in love with cruise ships at age 12 when my family took its first cruise vacation. At the end of the trip, I asked my Dad if he thought I could be a cruise director someday and he replied that I could drive the ship, if I wanted to. Five years later, I enrolled at the California Maritime Academy and nineteen years later I became a Captain,” said Captain Kate McCue. “I firmly believe that you have to see it, to be it. My hope is that today we inspire a new generation of young girls and women to chart their own course of pushing boundaries and breaking barriers to be whatever it is they want to be.”
“To ‘man the bridge’ with 100% women and to fill every leadership role on board with women is truly significant. I am so proud of these accomplished women, who worked tirelessly to be the best person for the job in a traditionally male-dominated industry and I am honoured to work alongside them,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. “Advancing gender equality in our industry takes a purposeful and focused commitment because it is not easy. This is such meaningful progress and we’re just getting started.”
Guest Relations Director Julie Sherrington from Godalming said: “All women officers, a full women bridge, we’re making a mark on the industry!”
First Officer Rachel Arnold from Bristol said: “When I first started I didn’t have women role models and now I work for a company that is just so inclusive.”
Cruise Director Sue Denning from Blackpool commented: “There are women of all ages, of all descriptions, of all religions. We’re here. And I think this company, doing this, and making this day as special as it is, is something that I will never ever forget. To think that you are part of history!”
Onboard for the history-making sailing are trailblazing women in other fields including Madeline Stuart, the Australian model with down syndrome; child prodigy artist Autumn de Forest; and Kellee Edwards, the first black woman to host a national travel show; among others. The historic seven-night sailing will celebrate other female achievements through a variety of events including panel discussions, gallery exhibitions featuring female artists, excursions to women-led businesses in the ports the ship visits, and a cinema series putting female directors, actors and inspirational narratives centre stage.
Celebrity Edge lit up in purple to celebrate International Women’s Day with an historic all-female Bridge Team. Image Credit: Celebrity Cruises
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Celebrity Edge lit up the high seas with a vibrant purple glow, the colour associated with the day, to further celebrate change-making women everywhere.
As part of this one-of-a-kind sailing, Celebrity curated unique specialty programming, including evening gallery exhibitions and art auctions featuring female artists, celebrating the female form; collaborating on an exclusive design with luxury jewellery designer Reout Kallati; hosting special events, such as a cinema series featuring iconic and impactful female directors, leads and inspirational narratives; and other dedicated onboard programming, including Women of the World-themed trivia challenges, Fearless Female Officers vs. Guests Pool Volleyball tournament, and a Q&A panel with the ship’s inspiring female leadership team.
About Celebrity Edge
Celebrity Edge, which debuted in late 2018, was brought to life by a team of visionary architects and designers and features an array of stunning industry-first innovations – such as the transformational Edge Stateroom with Infinite Balcony and Magic Carpet, the world’s first cantilevered platform that travels up to 16 decks alongside the ship. Celebrity Edge is currently finishing her first season visiting the breathtaking vistas of the Mediterranean, offering a range of seven to 11-night sailings from iconic cities like Barcelona and Rome, and will be returning to the Caribbean later this month. Building on Celebrity Edge’s incredible momentum, Celebrity Apex debuts this year, followed by two additional sister ships in 2021 and 2022.
To learn more about the historic International Women’s Day 2020 sailing and meet the leading ladies who came together on board to make it possible, visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk/about-us/celebrity-cares/international-womens-day.
To book a future cruise visit www.celebritycruises.com