Rosa’s Story: The Power Women Network - Championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Hello, my name is Rosa Kim, and I am the Functional Product Owner at Maersk. My journey at Maersk has been filled with growth, opportunities, and a deep sense of belonging, one of the main reasons for this is being Chair of the Power Women Network.
Working at Maersk
When I first encountered Maersk, I was working in my previous company who were a customer of Maersk. I was struck by the employees’ professionalism and genuine pride in working for Maersk and upholding the Maersk name. This piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to explore the company's culture further and be part of an organization that inspired such loyalty and respect. Now after over 10 years at Maersk, I have never looked back.
One of the things I love most about working at Maersk is the international environment and the diversity of people which naturally comes with being a large global organization like Maersk. Maersk truly values diversity and the inclusion of its employees. Due to this culture, I can feel the synergy of different opinions from people with different experiences as we all work together to achieve the same thing – Improving life for all by integrating the world. Even when faced with transformation and organizational changes, I have seen how the company prioritizes the inclusion of every individual.
I also really enjoy that I have the opportunity to move around both in terms of jobs and location. I started working for Maersk in South Korea, where I am originally from, as a Care Business Partner, and after moving through various different roles, and locations such as Transformation Manager and Country Manager of Safmarine in Japan, I moved to Copenhagen, the Maersk headquarters in Denmark to become a Functional Product Owner.
In my opinion, it is these few important things that make Maersk such a great place to work.
Maersk and DEI
Maersk firmly believe that by embracing DEI, we are better equipped for the organization’s transition to becoming an end-to-end integrated logistics provider. To solve the complex challenges we face, we need different perspectives from people from different backgrounds, and for that diversity of thought to thrive, people need to feel a sense of belonging.
The Power Women Network plays a vital role in fostering inclusion, and we are proud to contribute to Maersk's journey towards a more inclusive and diverse future. The Power Women Network is an employee resource network at Maersk, which is helping to shape the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our organization and beyond.
The initial idea for the Power Women Network is also a testament to how seriously Maersk take female diversity and inclusion. The group started because of a simple listening session with our former CEO, Søren Skou, and a group of female colleagues in 2021 which ignited a collective passion within us to take action and contribute to promoting DEI.
The Power Women Network
Our purpose is multifaceted with three main focus areas. Firstly, to empower women speak up and seize opportunities. Secondly, addressing career inequity challenges by creating a safe space for open discussions and role modelling sessions. Lastly, leveraging our connections to develop programs to support female colleagues by actively participating in the designing of training programs to ensure they reflect the realities faced by women in the workplace.
Being part of the Power Women Network at Maersk has been an extraordinary journey for me. I am proud to be the chair of this remarkable group and witness its incredible progress, from its humble beginnings on May 18th, 2022, which was also the International Day for Women in Maritime, where there were only eight founding members to a thriving community of 600 individuals.
The support we have received from the wider Maersk management and leaders to establish our group and organize events has been wonderful. We are fortunate to have Vincent Clerc, our current CEO as an executive sponsor. He has championed our cause and also gave the opening speech at our one-year anniversary celebration.
All our members’ immediate managers, board member and DEI team offer a lot of support and understanding, as what we do for the group is in addition to our day job responsibilities. I really appreciate the support we receive from our leaders as I know that as an employee, I can contribute to the positive change, but it really helps spread the message of DEI if the communication comes from top-down as well.
The impact of the Power Women Network
The impact of our group extends beyond Maersk. We actively raise awareness around allyship, not just within our industry but across industries, encouraging collaboration and shared learning. For example, we invited students in Denmark to participate in discussions about gender equity on International Women's Day in 2023 in Copenhagen office, our headquarters.
We want to continue to work to create a better environment for the younger generation, as they will be the majority in the future, and we want them to thrive in a diverse and inclusive world. I don’t want the new generation of women to have to experience the same journey as me where there was a strong lack of inclusivity.
Together, we can make a difference
I'm proud to be a part of Maersk's DEI journey, and I'm excited to see what the future holds. I know that there are still areas for improvement, but together, we can make a difference. I am confident we can make progress and create a workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected no matter who they are or where they come from.
If you're interested in working for a company that is committed to DEI, I encourage you to consider Maersk. We are always looking for talented and diverse individuals to join.
Visit our website to find out more about DEI at Maersk.
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