SYI Next Big Thing: With Jenny Matthews, founder of She of the Sea

Welcome to the first episode of Superyacht Investor’s (SYI’s) Next Big Thing. In this series, we ask industry insiders to identify the next big thing in superyachting, what challenges the industry may face in dealing with the topic and how they can be overcome.

We launch this series with Jenny Matthews, founder of superyachting diversity organisations, She of the Sea and Legasea. Matthews qualified as an officer of the watch in 2018.

During her presentation at this year’s SYI London 2022 conference (pictured), Matthews shared recent research documenting improving diversity in the sector and highlighted the importance of diversity, sustainability, and crew wellbeing.

Matthews’ passion for promoting diversity comes from personal experience. After nearly a decade in the industry, Matthews realised she had never worked with another female in the deck department before. Here is where She of the Sea was born.

The organisation aims to cultivate talent regardless of factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, or orientation by partnering with organisations such as recruitment organisation Quay Crew, law firm HFW and yachting organisation MYBA. Together they collect data and provide diversity and crew wellbeing in the yachting sector.

In 2020, Matthews began studying sustainability leadership and corporate responsibility at the London Business School. She is also chair of the Maritime UK Pledge and Charter Group.

Meanwhile, Legasea was launched in 2020 to offer an industry-wide mentoring programme for career-focused yachting professionals. It also works alongside its partners to educate the industry on data it has collected from active crew members.