Maritime UK CEO Chris Shirling-Rooke Honoured with WISTA UK Diversity Champion Award

Maritime UK is proud to announce that its Chief Executive, Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE, has been named WISTA UK's Personality of the Year 2025. The award was presented last night by International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez during WISTA UK’s Summer Reception, held at the IMO’s headquarters in London.

The annual awards celebrate individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within the maritime sector. Shirling-Rooke was honoured alongside fellow recipients Capt. Karen Davis, Managing Director of OCIMF, who received the WISTA UK Woman of the Year Award 2025, presented by previous recipient and Deputy Speaker of the House Nusrat Ghani MP, and Lord Jeffrey Mountevans, recognised as WISTA UK Man of the Year 2025.

Held on the 97th anniversary of women winning the vote on equal terms with men here in the UK, the event was a timely reminder of the powerful role that women play in shaping the direction of our industry and creating positive change in society at large.

On receiving the award, Chris Shirling-Rooke said:

“I am incredibly honoured to receive this recognition and thank the brilliant team at WISTA UK for naming me Personality of the Year 2025.

“To thrive as an industry, we must create safe, equitable environments where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. No single group can achieve this alone – it requires collective effort and for allies to show up with the courage to speak out against injustice and really commit to driving that positive change.

“At Maritime UK, we’re proud to be an organisation where women make up 70% of our workforce – a figure that remains exceptionally rare across the maritime sector. They inspire me daily to champion change and ensure that women have the space and the support to flourish in maritime careers.

“Thank you once again to WISTA UK for this honour and for the incredible work you do. I pledge to continue to show up, support, and use my voice to advance equity across our sector.”

Shirling-Rooke joined Maritime UK as Chief Executive in summer 2023, following a successful tenure at Mersey Maritime. Throughout his career, he has been a vocal advocate for diversity, working to foster inclusive policies and practices across the industry.

Maritime UK congratulates all of this year’s WISTA UK award winners and reaffirms its commitment to building a diverse and thriving maritime workforce for the future. To learn more about the practical ways Maritime UK supports diversity, visit our Diversity in Maritime Hub for further information on our various Diversity Networks and programmes, including the Women in Maritime Network. We encourage all members of the industry to join us in this journey, to sign up and take part in the networks, and contribute to driving positive change.