Aquaculture North America

Seafood and Gender Equality launches a Speakers’ Bureau for the seafood sector

March 8, 2023
By Maryam Farag

Today, on International Women’s Day, Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) has announced the Speakers’ Bureau for the Seafood Sector—a new platform to help conference and event organizers create inclusive panels and speakers find exciting opportunities.

In 2022, 31.6 per cent of speakers, on average, at major seafood conferences and events were women. While up from 19 per cent in 2018-2019, all-male panels, or “manels,” continue to be the norm at many of the leading seafood conferences in North America.

As the industry continues to recuperate from disruptions caused by the global pandemic and faces new geopolitical challenges, it has never been more important to center diverse voices offering new insights and fresh, innovative solutions.
Industry veteran Lisa Goché said about the Speakers’ Bureau, “The seafood sector is highly diverse. Clearly, there is a need to reflect that, and to give voice to the experiences and achievements of women and people of color. SAGE’s Speakers’ Bureau for the Seafood Sector provides a valuable platform for organizations striving for increased inclusivity.”
The Speakers’ Bureau is hosted on SAGE’s website, where panel organizers can browse speakers’ profiles and find the right experts for their needs. Speakers can create profiles, showcasing their expertise and past speaking engagements.
“I attend a lot of conferences and it’s disheartening to see a manel or a panel lacking diversity when I know there are so many qualified experts in this industry that represent historically excluded demographics. We hope that the Speakers’ Bureau will be the one-stop shop for conference, event, and panel organizers to find speakers bringing a diversity of experience and thought to the table, and, in turn, spark innovation and new insights,” said Julie Kuchepatov, founder of SAGE.
Whether you are looking to build an inclusive panel or seeking out opportunities to share your own expertise, the Speakers’ Bureau is a tool to help the seafood sector increase gender inclusion on panels and the evolution of the seafood sector to a more exciting career choice for enthusiastic leaders of today and tomorrow. Read more about how to add your profile or search for your next panelist here.
To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Julie Kuchepatov – Julie@seafoodandgenderequality.org,

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