If you’ve ever attended a seafood industry event, such as the Seafood Expo North America, aka the Boston Seafood Show (or most any big industry event, for that matter), you might have noticed that historically, the majority of attendees are um, well… male. This is changing–a fact noted at IntraFish‘s recent Women in Seafood Leadership Summit in San Diego, CA.

FishWise staff, Ashley Greenley, Business Engagement Division Director, and Sarah Caldwell, Traceability Division Project Manager, were attendees to an insightful and motivating evening reception, which featured stories from female seafood executives about their professional journeys and touched on themes of empowerment and inclusion. Speakers shared inspirational stories, like one from Lisa Webb, who noted that her successful career of 32 years with Gorton’s Seafood would not have been possible without the enduring support of her husband, who stayed at home to raise their four boys. Other industry veteran leaders, like Mikel Durham, CEO of American Seafoods, emphasized there was no one right career path and encouraged the audience to “take your own journey and enjoy the adventure”. Citing statistics that diversity in workforces and senior leadership result in higher employee retention within companies, Jennifer Smigelski of Thai Union North America left the audience with this challenge: “what one step can you take to foster diversity and inclusion in your company?”

Speakers at the 2019 Women in Seafood Leadership Summit.

See highlights. Read IntraFish’s recap of the event (requires subscription).

Related: Sea Pact, an innovative association of ten leading North American seafood companies working together to drive industry sustainability progress, have elected a new chair for their Advisory Council. Stacy Schultz, Director of Marketing & Sustainability Coordinator at Fortune Fish and Gourmet is now the new chair, taking the place of former chairman Hamish Walker, COO at Seattle Fish Company. Read full press release.