The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) welcomes Guatemala this month as the 52nd National WISTA Association (NWA). Guatemala joins a strong contingent of WISTA Associations in Latin America, namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.

“WISTA’s continued expansion in Central and South America really highlights the importance of this region to global shipping,” said WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou. “Female professionals and executives in Guatemala are looking to make connections within our Association and to expand opportunities for women in their country.”

The leadership team of WISTA Guatemala also includes WISTA Guatemala Vice President Kamyla Barrientos, Legal Advisor to the Board of Directors and the Commission, Comisión Portuaria Nacional; Secretary Vanessa Lopez, Executive Assistant, Comisión Portuaria Nacional; Treasurer Maricruz Arenas, Subdirector Maritime and Port Law Unit, Centro de Estudios de Derecho; and Vocal, Ingrid Rivera, Commercial Legal Advisor.

Additional founding members include Mischelle Caceres, General Manager, BBC Freight; Gabriela Barrios, Subdirector, Comisión Portuaria Nacional; Jaquelin García, Director of the Legal Area of the Maritime Administration, Ministry of Defense, Maritime Authority; and Vivian Aguilar, Supervisor, AGUNSA.

WISTA International is an international organization for female managers in the shipping industry. WISTA International is comprised of 52 National WISTA Associations (NWA) around the world and more than 3,700 members. WISTA was approved for consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2018, providing the organization with a formal voice for supporting IMO work in a variety of areas. WISTA works with a wide variety of global maritime and governmental bodies to support professional development, opportunities and networking for female executives in the maritime industry.

WISTA welcomed several new National WISTA Associations in 2020 and 2019: WISTA Angola, WISTA Bangladesh, WISTA Colombia, WISTA Chile, WISTA Mexico, WISTA Romania and WISTA South Africa. National WISTA Associations are formed in individual countries in accordance with the laws and regulations of the country. To launch a National WISTA Association, the association must first contact WISTA International and follow the formation processes set forth in the Articles of Association and in Protocols, which include submitting drafts of the governing documents to WISTA International, filing appropriate paperwork in the home country, having at least ten members in management positions and paying annual fees to WISTA International.