Celebrating International Day for Women in Maritime: meet Yvonne Boogers

18 May is International Day for Women in Maritime, an initiative of the International Maritime Organization. To that end, we would like to take this opportunity to get to know one of our female employees – Yvonne Boogers – a bit better.

Hi Yvonne! Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am an enthusiastic and positive person who enjoys travelling, networking and learning from people and other cultures. I am from the Netherlands but lived in Brazil and Panama from 2012 until 2018.

When did you start working for AEGIR-Marine?
In November 2022 AEGIR-Marine gave me the opportunity to return to Panama and join their Americas team. As the maritime industry was completely new for me, I spent the first two months of this year training at the company’s headquarters in the Netherlands. This was a very special time for me as AEGIR-Marine is a globally oriented company and I met colleagues from all over the world. In March 2023 I started in my new role as a commercial and sales manager for Latin America.

How are you finding your job?
I am traveling a lot – learning about the maritime sector and how we can serve our customers in the best way possible. The Latin American culture differs from the Dutch and has great growth potential for the industry I work in. So that is a really nice challenge to take on! The maritime environment for me feels very accessible and easy-going.

What does the ‘IMO’s International Women In Maritime day’ mean to you?
To be honest, I only recently heard about the ‘IMO’s International Women In Maritime day’. The maritime sector is still a male dominant industry but the diversity is growing and I feel very welcome. I do think it is a good development to attract more women to this quite unknown work environment.

Do you think more women should choose to work in the maritime industry?
Everyone is unique, but men and women are different and can therefore learn from and complement each other. In my opinion a better balance can only benefit any work environment. In addition, I do recommend women to look into the many career possibilities of the maritime industry as it is a very impressive world to work in!

Want to read more about the IMO’s International Day for Women in Maritime? Go to:
https://www.imo.org/en/About/Events/Pages/International-Day-for-Women-in-Maritime-2023.aspx