The Power of Opportunity

Today on March 8th, we celebrate International Women's Day. A pivotal moment in the annual calendar where we take a moment to recognise the contribution and impact that women make across our industry.

To mark this moment, I wanted to write about one particular part of our industry and how this reflects relevantly into International Women's Day and that is talking about opportunity.

Working in cruise retail for many years now, I have had the privilege in encouraging, supporting and observing many talented and determined women step forward and shape their own destiny to progress in their careers. At my time at MSC, it truly was one of the most motivating aspects of my role in seeing the progression and growth of so many amazing women in our team. Ensuring that we celebrated this and ensured we shared the success was really important to ensure that these leaders were able to inspire others to follow in their paths.

If you have met with either myself of Rob in your interview to enter our industry, then the one thing that you will know we will talk about is the possibility to grow your career in the cruise retail industry. Having worked in retail for over 30 years, I can safely say that there is no other part of our sector that provides the trajectory like cruise retail does. It is something that as leaders in our sector we need to shout about as much as possible and we should be proud of.

The principle in cruise retail is a very simple one... no matter who you are, no matter where you are from, if you believe in yourself and can show success through results, you can progress....fast! I have seen it demonstrated time and time again, as strong women, full of determination to succeed have got promoted, taken hold of opportunity and show their leadership potential.

So how and why does it work so well in cruise retail?

So first, is the 'how'.

The answer to this is self-awareness. Those shoppies who take ownership of their career, their performance and their growth will be the most likely ones to succeed. I have often said that in cruise retail if you want to succeed you have to pull opportunity to you, not wait for it to be pushed to you. Therefore the women who have progressed generally have taken ownership for their performance, their development and their results. Not waiting for an end-of-contract appraisal, not waiting for someone to tell them they have done well. Instead, taking hold of learning opportunities, understanding adaptation to situations and ensuring that they focus on marginal gain improvements. When this happens, results get delivered. When results get delivered, opportunity opens!

Next is the 'why'.

The answer to this is 'building your personal brand'. Cruise retail is incredibly fast moving and only looks forward, we are continuously chasing targets, problem solving and working hard to achieve challenging targets each and every moment. Our fast-paced industry does not have any time for reflection and review. It is a truly 'turbo charged' forward facing industry driven by the environment, challenges and circumstances. This means that there is simply not the culture or the patience for long-term succession and for reflective assessment. The industry is always planning, plotting and preparing. The need to achieve is the driving factor, and therefore with each challenge comes an extraordinary opportunity - the power to step forward and be in the right place at the right time, regardless of your background or who you are.

The women who built a strong personal brand that resonates across the oceans, who have taken the ownership for their performance and their results will be the ones who have been able to harness the power of opportunity that cruise retail presents.

And finally, and probably most importantly, comes the sisterhood. As women rise through the industry, they have the power to inspire others, to encourage others and to support others do the same. For an industry which is built from true support and teamwork, the environment to build success is simply perfect. Cruise retail success comes from the performance of the team over the individual, so the extraordinary nurturing power of true support and encouragement is simply unmatched. 24/7 across a contract - it's a setting like no other!

Simply put, on International Women's Day as we celebrate the strength of women to succeed around the world there is no greater part of the retail sector that allows women to build their careers as fast and as successfully as cruise retail does. It is not easy, it is not always fair but it is continuously full of fast-moving opportunity, the right environment to be grabbed and ultimately owned by determined individuals who are willing to show their impact, their grit and their self growth.

And where does this get to?

Well, one of the most encouraging and inspiring parts of this story is looking at the senior leadership of our industry. Cruise retail is full of inspiring leaders who have shown their determination, impact and drive to deliver success. We are proud to share that over 50% of senior leadership roles are held by women who have harnessed the unique opportunities cruise retail provides. Click on the gallery below to learn about some truly amazing leaders who are shaping the strategy and output of our industry today.

Lisa Bauer, CEO Starboard Group

Kerstin Oldenhofe, Managing Director Heinemann Cruise Retail

Jennifer Patience, EVP Cruise Retail Effy Jewelry

Suzanne Mahoney, Head of Retail Merchandising, MSC Cruises

Katie Floyd, Marketing Director Harding+

Ruth King, VP Diamonds International

Stacy Shaw, VP Luxury, Starboard Group

Natalia Rolle, Human Resources Director Heinemann Americas

Karla Nendeski, Merchandising Director, Starboard Group

Linzi Walker, CCO Harding+

Jia Jia Lu, General Manager Asia, Starboard Group

So, what for the future?

If reading all of this has inspired you and motivated you, then you are in the right place! Everyone who is starting their adventure working on the oceans has the potential to become the next senior leader in our industry - that is the true secret of the cruise retail industry.

So, how can we support you? The Cruise Retail Academy is here to help you begin to build your career in our industry no matter who you are or no matter where you come from. We are looking for that spark, that power, that potential that shows that you could be the next CEO of a cruise retailer. Our job is not to look for techincal skills already learned, it is to look for the right attitude, for how you learn, for what personal growth means to you and for your hunger to progress.

Not only can we mentor you to secure your first job in the industry and therefore start to grow your career, we also offer much more. With over 50 free courses in our E-Academy we can support you to start to empower your learning and your ability to pull opportunity towards you. Our 'Self Awareness' and 'Personal Brand' courses are completely connected to the HOW? and the WHY? that we were talking about in this blog, and can really give you something to think about!

So, on International Women's Day, we would like to recognise the thousands of amazing women working across the cruise retail industry who are seizing the moment, growing themselves and showing true determination to suceed! Today is your day!