To mark International Women’s Day this year, Harland & Wolff will be hosting an online panel discussion made up of women from across the Group – from Arnish to Belfast, from graduate to senior leaders.
The panel of women will share their career journeys and experiences, including challenges they have faced along the way. They will be offering their insights on what it is like working in maritime and sharing their advice to any women considering a career in maritime.
The webinar will take place at 10am on 8th March via Zoom. To register for the webinar, click here.
Speakers
Read about our panel of five speakers below:
Charlotte Davies
Commercial Director: Defence & Government Vessels
Charlotte brings to the team over 20 years of defence commercial experience. Prior to joining Harland & Wolff Charlotte has held commercial roles at BAE Systems, Thales, KPMG and the Cabinet Office. She has worked on several complex high-profile defence and civil programmes, including the Astute Class Submarine, Satellite Communications Systems, Tornado Aircraft, the Hawk Training Jet, and the Chinook Helicopter.
It is important to her that businesses agree equitable commercial relationships that bring benefit to all parties and maximise the opportunity for success.
Charlotte has undergraduate degrees in History and Law, a Masters Degree in War Studies and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. When she is not working, she enjoys relaxing with her family.
Colette Duffy
ERP Operations Manager
Colette is the ERP Operations Manager for the group. Colette began her career working for IFS as a graduate consultant who climbed the ranks over 5 years to be the Lead Senior Consultant on the biggest IFS implementation in Europe. She worked across many industries before finally specialising in the oil & gas sector spending two years in Monaco to bring SBM Offshore live in Brazil for their offshore fleet of FPSOs.
Based across all of our yards, Colette is responsible for the ERP development and supporting Finance, HR, SCM, Projects and CRM with rolling out additional functionality to support and guide the business as we continue to grow. Thus far since joining 8 months ago, Colette has doubled our IFS Users and continues to expand the IFS usage in every area. Most recently we have had a successful launch for a Pilot Group of 50 users to utilise the IFS Self Service Portal to manage their annual leave.
In her spare time Colette enjoys playing gaelic football and has most recently joined a new team in Bristol.
Rachel Mackenzie
Head of Grants
With over 20 years of post-qualifying experience in a number of senior roles across the private and public sector, Rachel is our Head of Grants.
Based at Harland & Wolff (Arnish), Rachel’s main responsibilities include looking at stakeholder relations and public sector engagement, collaborating with local and national governments on contributing to shared goals and projects supporting the public sector. She works across the Group to meet with civil servants and government personnel to ensure they are kept up to date on the strategy and vision of Harland & Wolff.
Prior to joining the team, Rachel spent eight years as the Area Manager of the Highlands & Islands Enterprise in the Outer Hebrides. A Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland, she has also worked as Finance Director in both the construction and media sectors, supporting growth and strategic direction.
In her spare time, Rachel runs a croft with cattle and sheep and enjoys horse riding. She also enjoys wild swimming in the lochs and Atlantic shores of Lewis.
Courtney Rodgers
HR Graduate
Having completed an International Hospitality Management degree, Courtney joined Harland & Wolff in 2023 as an HR Graduate.
Courtney was keen to be a part of a growing and changing company and has deep family ties to the brand – her Granda and Great Grandfather worked at Harland & Wolff and she has grown up hearing the many stories of her Granda’s time working at the Belfast shipyard.
In her spare time, Courtney enjoys long walks with her dog, travelling to new countries and being outdoors.
Seena Shah (panel chair)
Head of Marketing & Communications
With around 15 years’ experience, Seena has built an award-winning career in STEM marketing & communications.
Seena’s career started with a London-based social enterprise start-up where she grew and led the campaign management team working with major STEM brands including Thales, Tata Consultancy, Cisco and Crossrail. In 2015, she was listed as a Top Woman Under 30 in Digital by The Drum.
Before joining Harland & Wolff, she spent five years working as a Digital Communications Consultant, predominantly with technology start-up companies, including blockchain, cryptocurrency and challenger bank brands. She read International Relations with Spanish at the University of Plymouth.
Seena is a life-long Arsenal FC fan, when she isn’t cheering on her team, she can be found at music gigs and food festivals.
About International Women’s Day
The aim of the International Women’s Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. You can read more about this here.
