WHY IT RATES: Travel agents and advisors with clients who fight for a purpose should be showcasing the initiatives from Celebrity Cruises.-Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
Celebrity Cruises continues to shatter the glass ceiling with an unwavering commitment to gender equality. Today, in honor of International Women's Day (IWD), Celebrity will Ring the Bell on the 7 Seas to celebrate and support the equality, advancement, and accomplishments of women and the men who support their efforts.
The ceremony will take place on the entire Celebrity fleet of ships across the world, as well as in the company's offices worldwide. Guests, crew and employees will take part in the celebrations, all wearing red to show their unity and support for women's accomplishments everywhere.
"We have a lot to celebrate this year at Celebrity. We now have four female Captains and five female Hotel Directors. And a historic first-our new beautiful Galapagos ship, Celebrity Flora, will enter service with a 50/50 gender ratio on the bridge," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. "Celebrity Edge was the first ship to have a 30 percent ratio of female crew, and while we're leading the way in our industry, we're not finished advancing gender equality."
This is the second year that Celebrity has partnered with the Red Shoe Movement in support of the Gender Equality Global Initiative. A symbolic ceremony will be hosted by Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. With two of the brand's award-winning ships in Grand Cayman at the same time, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo will kick off the ceremony on board Celebrity Reflection, and then continue the celebration on board Celebrity Edge. Both ship's executive teams along with the Founder and CEO of the Red Shoe Movement, Mariela Dabbah, will join the events on board.
Every Celebrity ship in the fleet, along with the company's global offices, will perform their own ceremonies, uniting their voices by reading a manifesto to support gender equality in the maritime industry and around the world.
Each office will have different activities related to International Women's Day as they unite their voices in a commitment to gender equality on land and at sea.
Lutoff-Perlo added, "On International Women's Day, we celebrate all that we've accomplished and bring awareness to all there is still left to do. I look forward to the time when this day is no longer needed."
Mariela Dabbah, Founder and CEO of the Red Shoe Movement, said, "We're thrilled to team up once again with Celebrity Cruises. This year, we actively set sail for gender equality. Working with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, we get to see her innovative style in action as she thinks in inclusive terms from the design of a ship to the Captain at the helm."
Dabbah added, "We're also delighted to award the Red Shoe Leader Award to Captain Kate McCue, the first American female captain of a cruise ship-Celebrity Equinox. She's an incredible role model of inclusive leadership and is an inspiration to us all."
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