Saturday 8 March was International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate women’s achievements and, accelerate action to drive gender equality. Here we’re pleased to share some of the celebrations held for the amazing women working on board our ships.
On Queen Anne, Captain Inger Thorhauge invited all women crew to an afternoon tea, to share their achievements, stories of their working lives at sea, and to support each other and bond in a relaxing atmosphere.
Afternoon tea for Queen Anne’s women crew
HR Manager, Francesca Hitchman said:
“We’re very fortunate on Queen Anne to have some very strong women role models, including our inspirational Captain, Inger Thorhauge. Leading her team onboard, women crew make up 20% of the workforce and on International Women’s Day, we thought it was a perfect way to celebrate rights, equality and empowerment for all women and girls. Together with afternoon tea for our women crew, there was also an opportunity for photos in the grand lobby which the guests loved to see!”
Captain Inger Thorhauge and Queen Anne’s women crew
Meanwhile on Ventura, the team hosted a special event to celebrate the 226 women working on board.
Ventura’s women crew
Learning and Development Officer, Jess Miles said:
“We celebrated with a group photo of our amazing women crew, and spent the morning in the Cinnamon Restaurant hearing the inspiring stories of women leaders from all different departments. This was followed with a session from our Medical Team about women’s health.”
On Britannia, the team invited all women crew to celebrate together with a ‘Women at sea’ gathering.
Britannia’s women at sea enjoying the gathering
Crew Welfare Officer, Ana Maria Ramirez Rodriguez said:
“The gathering was a beautiful way to commemorate and honour all women in the past that spoke up and found their way to be heard, changing things for all of us today.
It’s so important for us to empower other women and support them. The message we wanted to get across is that ‘small actions can have a big impact in someone else’s day’. We wanted to remind our women crew members that that they are not alone, that there are others that have gone through similar experiences, and that we are there to support each other.
Thanks to the F&B Team, there were delicious cakes for everyone to enjoy, both at the gathering and in the Crew Mess. Captain Andrew Foote gave a speech where he reminded us of all the achievements women have had throughout history, and the importance women have at sea. HR Manager Kelly Braithwaite then gave a few words about the importance of creating a strong female network so that if anyone experiences any type of harassment onboard, they are not isolated.
Finally, there was me, the one who wrote a speech in case she forgot her ideas or got too nervous, but also the one that wanted to make sure we realise that we are stronger together and that big changes start with small actions.
We all had such a great time – we laughed, we chatted, and I even got to cut the cake! It was a day that I and all the amazing women on Britannia won’t forget.”
Thanks to the F&B Team, there were delicious cakes for everyone to enjoy, both at the gathering and in the Crew Mess. Captain Andrew Foote gave a speech where he reminded us of all the achievements women have had throughout history, and the importance women have at sea. HR Manager Kelly Braithwaite then gave a few words about the importance of creating a strong female network so that if anyone experiences any type of harassment onboard, they are not isolated.
Captain Andrew Foote’s speech
Thank you for sharing your celebrations with us, Queen Anne, Ventura and Britannia.
Want to share your ship’s news and activities on The Insider? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at internal.comms@carnivalukgroup.com