A commitment to developing the diversity of the Port of Cork Company(PoCC)'s workforce is central to the PoCC's Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Policy Statement which was launched this week.

The policy statement, devised by the Port, outlines its commitment to ensuring that its workforce better reflects the community it serves as well as the steps the company will undertake in order to guide and measure these efforts.

In the statement, PoCC acknowledges the scale of the challenge facing the maritime industry, as it has made less progress in this area than other sectors in recent years. However, it states that it will show leadership and commitment, through multiple initiatives, to improve its welcome and working environment through a considered D&I strategy.

Michael Walsh, Chairperson of the Port of Cork Company stated, “The Port of Cork has a special place in the history of Cork and Ireland. We have always been a welcoming place and are rightly proud of our connections across the globe. However, as with much of the maritime sector, we are currently less diverse than the community we serve. We are determined to show robust leadership to improve this and will constantly challenge ourselves to do better. The launch of this policy today, as part of the annual EU Diversity Month, marks another step in our commitment to multiple initiatives to improve our diversity and welcome.”

Gillian Keating, Non-Executive Director and Chairperson if the ESG Committee at the Port of Cork Company added, “I look forward to engaging with employees and other stakeholders of the Port of Cork Company to build a better, more diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. It will take time to realise our goals but we are committed to looking hard at ourselves and finding ways to do better always.”

The performance and implementation of the new policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.

To find out more about the Port of Cork Company and to review the Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement visit here.