Being my authentic self at Maersk: Amira’s story

Regardless of who you are within Maersk, you can feel comfortable being yourself. There is an open culture for questions and Maersk truly is an international company where people from different countries work closely together. I appreciate that I don’t feel like I have to act a certain way at work and there are many other women and people from diverse backgrounds around me. The company's commitment to leading the industry in diversity and inclusion makes me feel like I can contribute.

Maersk recognises the importance of DEI and of fostering a sense of belonging, and actively encourages colleagues to embrace their cultural identities. For example, it is normal to see colleagues communicating in different languages in the office.

As Maersk’s special business priority is to lead the industry as a diverse and inclusive employer, the emphasis on creating employee resource networks globally is supported directly by our CEO. I wanted to contribute to this journey and make a difference for my colleagues which is why I, together with a small group, founded the MIX group in NEC (North Europe Continent) in 2021.

We started the group with only a handful of people but are now a strong team of around 30 passionate colleagues. MIX’s aim is to create an environment where all employees feel true to themselves and feel that they can be heard and represented. By embracing diversity of thought, we can harness the strength that comes from different perspectives.

We focus a range of diverse areas within MIX NEC, we have sub-teams each focusing on a specific aspect of DEI, such as Pride & LGBTQIA+, Culture, Inclusion and Religion, and Psychological Safety & Diverse Abilities. We also collaborate with external experts for coaching and training to ensure we have the necessary tools and resources to help our colleagues thrive.

I believe that having a group like MIX at Maersk is essential because it creates a platform for colleagues to connect, support one another, and I feel very happy that I am making a positive impact on my colleagues’ experience at Maersk. Although MIX NEC’s biggest event so far were the pride celebrations in 2022, where we had 300 people involved and attending the events, to me I feel like the biggest impact I have had are the small things.

For example, when I sent out an email about a Jewish holiday, I received a reply from a colleague saying that they felt heard. Other times, when we sent out tips on how to cope with changes in a psychologically safe way, we received comments thanking us and saying they really needed this as they were having a bad day. This is what motivates to continue working as a part of MIX NEC.