No sex please, we're women

THERE is a general rule in life that, if you want to get something done, you ask a busy person to do it. Fulvia Linari is the personification of this rule. She says she became president of WISTA by accident rather than by design. But Fulvia has proved to be a key player in the development of the organisation since she became its president in September 1996. She works and lives in Genoa, where she is managing director of Medmar Shipping Agency, which specialises in managing containerships and tramp vessels.

The Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) is an umbrella organisation for women involved in shipping and trading-related businesses throughout the world. The association is a non-profit organisation with branches operating worldwide, from Singapore to Panama, Norway to Israel. It aims to provide opportunities for members to develop professionally through training and seminars, to provide information and views about current trends in the international shipping community and, perhaps most importantly, to exchange knowledge and practical experience through networking.

Fulvia explains how she first became involved with WISTA. "In 1994," she says, "I was working in Genoa and was asked to a get-together by a couple of women I knew. I met Marisa Vignolo, who was to become the first chair of the Italian chapter of WISTA. She was on her way to Hamburg to attend WISTA's annual conference in 1994. At the last minute she could not attend so asked me to go in her place. By the time I got back from the conference, I had agreed to host and organise the next annual conference, in Italy in 1995.

"There was an immediate need to set up WISTA Italy, which had been operating on an informal basis until then, so that there was a group of people to support the conference. This was in late 1994, five years ago. There were five of us who became the founder members of WISTA Italy, with Marisa Vignolo acting as our chair. There are now over forty members of WISTA in Italy. Worldwide membership, meanwhile, is currently at about thirty countries."

In shipping, it is definitely not a war between the sexes, which is an outdated topic. The opposite sex is an ally, not an enemy. Women have enough battles to fight without taking on the male species as well.

Asked what motivated her to go for the WISTA presidency, Fulvia explains, "I became president by accident. There were international elections, and let me tell you there were not too many candidates for the post. I was initially nominated as the Italian candidate. I knew a little bit, but not everything, about what would be involved in becoming president. After some debate, I agreed to take on the job.

"By September 1996, when I became president in Athens, WISTA had already entered a period of growth. The organisation has grown a lot in the last three years because we have found better ways to become better-known worldwide. I travel a lot and, as I travel, I have been given a lot of chances to meet people and to talk about WISTA.

"One of the main principles behind the working of WISTA is that one woman can attract another and act as a catalyst to support others in what has sometimes been an isolating world for women to operate in. The international shipping community has slowly begun to realise that WISTA is not just a bunch of women talking about fashion.

"WISTA began to be discussed and liked around the world. Go to any meeting - from Finland to the Philippines - and there are people gathered who have achieved a relevant status in their own companies and who are seriously influencing the area of the shipping industry in which they operate."

So what does WISTA do in Italy. "We organise half-a-dozen shipping seminars a year," explains Fulvia, "and visits to ports and companies, that are all open to the public. We have thus become recognised as an organisation that is successful at managing events. In June this year, we visited Leghorn, an oil, container and passenger ship port. We have held a seminar on coastal trade - a key issue in Italy - and on the ISM code."

Internationally, WISTA has a president, a vice-president and twelve board members. Fulvia explains, "Every country that pays its fees has the right to have one representative on the board. WISTA was born international and will continue to be so. This was a major decision of our board. Due to the international nature of the shipping industry, it is impossible to see WISTA as a national body. But each country has its own national body, with its own board and agm. They are fully independent, providing they stick to the WISTA statutes, and are free to do as they wish."

Fulvia has strong views on how the role of women in shipping has changed over the last decade. "In shipping," she says, "it is definitely not a war between the sexes, which is an outdated topic. The opposite sex is an ally, not an enemy. Women have enough battles to fight without taking on the male species as well.

A lot of work has already been done on account of the next generation of women in shipping. I believe their future will be easier because the path has now been paved.

"Women have to fight much more, make many more sacrifices than men, to achieve their goals, especially if they are trying to raise a family at the same time as developing a career. Our ability to juggle several projects and lifestyles at the same time makes us a workforce with terrific flexibility. Women adapt easily in difficult situations."

And what of the future for the next generation of women in shipping? "In terms of ongoing development at WISTA, " says Fulvia, "we believe that women will be involved in higher and higher positions, they will be influencers and decision-makers in the shipping industry.

"WISTA has two main goals. To be ready to educate and develop other women and, secondly, to provide networking opportunities between women in authority in their respective companies and organisations. We want to meet other women with whom we can do business, to pick up the phone and ask for new business from them, which is exactly what men do. WISTA should be used as a network.
"In terms of the next generation of women in the shipping workplace, women these days have set the pattern for the future. They are seen and heard at work, no longer willing to stay in the background. Shipping will catch up with the rest of the working world over the next decade. Women have always been in shipping but have tended to be content to be the helping hand, instead of taking the helm. Those who did get more involved were earning comparatively little, with no personal life.

"Now, and in the future, women can have a personal and professional life, although sacrifices still have to be made. I have been able to dedicate so much time to developing my career because I have not yet had a family to look after. Whether the next generation of women in shipping will have it all - career and family life - remains to be seen. Maybe one of the deciding factors will revolve around something as practical as time management. A lot of work has already been done on account of the next generation of women in shipping. I believe their future will be easier because the path has now been paved."

Fulvia Linari's term as president of WISTA expires in the year 2000. One of her big personal priorities at the moment is to get some well-earned time to herself. "One of my ambitions is to go on holiday" she says, casually. Somehow it is difficult to imagine her being out of contact, or unseen for long in the world of shipping.