Dafne Anghelidis, the new President for WISTA Argentina

July 2, 2019

Today we will meet Dafne Anghelidis, current president of WISTA Argentina!

Let’s know more about her!

1- How did the shipping industry come to your life?

My parents are both Greek. My late father was a shipping agent, he owned a shipping agency since I was three year-old, so I grew up listening to him talking to the Captains, to the Owners, to the pilots, and everything related!

2- We know that you really love to work with ships, so tell us about your professional career and your personal decision to work in this industry!

When I finished school, I entered the University of Merchant Marine in Buenos Aires to study Shipping Administration. I worked in my father’s company and after four years I found a job in another shipping agency dealing with reefer vessels. There I spent five years learning everything about reefer transportation. When Maersk Line landed in Argentina I was invited to join, as a sales person for reefer cargo. I was the first employee to be hired. My challenge was the containerization of reefer cargo. After 16 years of hard work and containerization of fish, beef and fruit from different load ports in Argentina, developing a feeder network, I left Maersk to join my best customer, a fruit exporter. After a year of experience in the fruit market, I went back to continue my father’s legacy, the shipping agency which this year, 2019, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. I am now running Agencia MaritimaIntercontinental with my husband.

3- You talked about running your Agency “Agencia Maritima Intercontinental with your husband” tell us more about your personal life, and how you get the balance between job and family

I met my husband in the University, so we were both always involved in the shipping industry. To run the company, we divide the tasks in the way each one of us makes it better, so he is in charge of the Operations department, while  I am in charge of the Business development.

We have two sons, who have heard us talking about ships since they were born! so the History is repeated! We still do not know whether they will continue the family business tradition, we hope so! it is such an interesting activity, covering so many aspects and enabling us to learn every day about so many matters in the world!

4- Amazing! And now how about WISTA? When did you join the association and why did you decide to be part of it? What about leading now WISTA Argentina?

I first heard about WISTA when I read an article in the newspaper, I was stunned to hear about an association of women in the shipping business. I IMMEDIATELY thought, “this is for me!!!!” I sent an email to Belen, who is the founder of WISTA Argentina and president by that time. She called me back after a while, and I was so moved, because she phoned the day of the anniversary of my father’s death, so I considered this as a clear message that WISTA was definitely an association I had to join! Since then, I have worked non-stop to spread the news, and make WISTA known among the shipping environment in our country and in Latin America.  I consider WISTA such a positive movement, so energetic, so beneficial for all its members, and for the gender equality. WISTA gives visibility to certain issues which otherwise nobody would work about, not even talk.

Now leading WISTA ARGENTINA as President, after five years of becoming a member.  I consider that my position as the president involves a big responsibility, because it must be performed in a correct way, carrying the message, the mission, the vision of WISTA. It is also an honor for me to bear this title. That is why I would like to give the association as much good work as I can, achieving positive things for the members, helping them in their professional development and careers, offering a high level of networking, access to activities which otherwise they would have no availability, education, possibility to participate in the board of directors, and actively participating in the organization of different kinds of activities.

5- What would be your phrase to conclude this interview?

I love my shipping career; I cannot imagine myself doing anything different! This is SO interesting!!!

Thank You Dafne!!