In the global shipping industry, only two percent of 1.2 million seafarers are women. At Celebrity Cruises, though, an impressive 32 percent of bridge officers are female. That’s almost one-third of all officers across the fleet.
In celebration of this progress, we will be changing our iconic “X” logo to “XX”, the symbol of the female chromosome and all those who identify as female, to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. The special logo will be used across Celebrity’s social platforms and on our ships for 24 hours. The special logo was also projected onto the hull of Celebrity Beyond, the third Edge-series ship, currently in the final stages of construction before its debut in April.
Celebrity has for a long time led the way in the cruise industry in the quest for diversity and inclusion, making rapid progress in its commitment. In 2015, just three percent of our officers were women, so achieving 32 percent is a real achievement.
Captain Kate McCue, who will take the helm of Celebrity Beyond, was the first – and remains the only – American female cruise ship captain. Several other women hold prominent positions in the company, including Chief Officer Rachel Arnold, from Great Britain, Chief Security Officer Mor “Mia” Segev, from Israel, First Officer Elizabeth Marami, from Kenya, and First Officer Nurul Sahira Sha’ri, from Singapore.
Captain Kate made headlines on International Women’s Day 2020 by leading the first-ever all-female bridge and officer team on a ground-breaking sailing on Celebrity Edge. The same team, of 26 women from 16 countries, reunited for a virtual celebration on International Women’s Day 2021. Now, this special logo will be a reminder of Celebrity’s continuing quest to smash the glass ceiling.
“Looking back at how far we’ve come is quite extraordinary, but the work is far from over,” said Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo – incidentally, the first female CEO in the cruise industry. “Countless girls are lacking role models in this awe-inspiring industry that opens up the world with the transformative power of travel. Celebrity Cruises is proud to pioneer this path so every girl who dreams of a career on board a cruise ship encounters a new standard across the seven seas.”
Join us in celebrating our work towards gender parity, of which we’re extremely proud.
