The Southern delegation of WISTA Spain has held the fourth edition of its Networking Breakfast in Algeciras, a professional meeting format that consolidates year after year as a reference space for visibility and female leadership in the maritime, port, and logistics sector. The event, which took place at the Hotel Reina Cristina, brought together 60 professionals from the port community and the surrounding area of the Southern delegation of the association.
The event was inaugurated by the president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce. The APBA participates as a sponsor of the event and has supported the association in this initiative since its inception. During his speech, Landaluce emphasized the importance of maintaining meeting spaces that contribute to strengthening the maritime-port community and providing greater visibility to female talent in the sector.
Banco Santander also intervened during the event to present its initiative Santander Open Academy, a global training platform through which the financial entity promotes professional development through educational programs. Many of these programs are specifically aimed at encouraging the training and professional growth of women. The initiatives are free and are developed in collaboration with European universities, offering learning and training opportunities in various professional fields.
The central moment of the event corresponded to the presentation by Jaime Paz, Head of Customer Service Spain and Data CoE Lead Spain at Ocean Network Express (ONE), who offered a reflection on the impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence on the future of work and the evolution of organizations. Paz, who has over 30 years of experience in the shipping sector, addressed how tools and generative artificial intelligence models are beginning to transform professional environments and raised the need to analyze from now on the implications that these technologies will have on companies in the coming years.
The meeting concluded with a networking exercise among the attendees, which allowed for strengthening professional relationships, exchanging experiences, and expanding the network of contacts within the maritime and logistics ecosystem of southern Spain. This edition has received support from Banco Santander, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and VT Shipping, which, along with the APBA, made the event possible.
WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association) is an international organization that promotes the participation and leadership of women in the maritime, port, and logistics industries. Its origins date back to 1974 in London, when a group of women professionals from the maritime sector from different countries met with the intention of creating an international network that would encourage the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and cooperation among industry professionals. The organization currently has over 6,000 members spread across more than 60 national associations worldwide.
WISTA Spain has been part of the international network since 2007 and currently has 223 professionals from the maritime, port, and logistics sectors in Spain. The association actively works to strengthen female presence in the industry, promoting meeting spaces, training, and collaboration among its members and with the wider maritime community.