Ragheeba Akhtar, Executive, Human Resources, says a structured, goal-orientated and clearly defined approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is helping Skuld build on strong cultural foundations to attract, develop and retain talent. The ripple effects of positive change, she believes, have the potential to fan out far beyond the walls of Skuld itself.
“Inclusion means inclusion for everyone,” Ragheeba Akhtar states with determination. “We are focused on providing a positive workplace where 100% of our people feel valued, where they feel they belong, their voices are heard, and they have every opportunity to develop individual talents, for collective gain. Anything less than full inclusion is not good enough.”
Ragheeba may have only been with Skuld for a year, having joined from an Oslo-based law firm in early 2024, but she speaks with the dedication of someone absolutely secure in their chosen role and ‘mission’.
“It’s personally important to me,” she says, adding that with an academic background in organisational psychology, it’s also “inspiring to contribute to creating a workplace where diverse people ‘fit’ together, getting, and giving, optimal results.”
And a key way to achieve that, she argues, is by “creating equal opportunities for all, regardless of individual factors.”
But, as she’s keen to make crystal clear from the outset, this is about more than just admirable intentions or bold promises, it’s about processes, initiatives and results.
A clear course
Ragheeba believes that a structured approach creates the solid foundations good corporate cultures are built upon. In her case, she smiles, she’s been lucky coming into a business where “people seem happy, included and valued”, as shown by an average staff retention period of eight years. However, she adds, “there’s always room for improvement!”
As such, Ragheeba and her colleagues in HR introduced a new DEI course across the business in autumn 2024 – one that is mandatory for all employees, throughout the network of 11 global offices.
The course takes participants on a step-by-step journey through the DEI landscape, defining what it means in a workplace context, tackling discrimination and the role of bias, encouraging all to proactively highlight any concerning areas or behaviour, and emphasising available reporting channels, amongst other things.
It’s vital, she states, to have clarity, particularly as some issues can, by their very nature, slip under the radar.
“Unconscious bias is a major challenge for both businesses and society,” Ragheeba explains. “So raising awareness of it, implementing standardised processes and then communicating those so everyone follows them is essential. The course is an important tool, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. We have to keep this front of mind. So doing our best to ensure that everyone follows the right procedures, all the time, across the whole organisation, is key to fair and equitable treatment and opportunities.”
Accelerating equality
The term ‘fair’ pivots the conversation towards the subject of gender. The maritime industry, and by extension maritime insurance, has a historical bias towards male employment and representation. This is changing, of course, but Skuld and Ragheeba are focused on accelerating the transition, ensuring women have a firmer business foothold.
“We have two stated goals,” she explains, “namely to achieve 40% female representation, company-wide, in all managerial and key positions by 2025, and to ensure equal salary between genders at all levels of the organisation”.
“We’re close in both respects, but there’s still work to do.”
Ragheeba says the last available figures show that female management representation has now reached 38% (Skuld strives to have at least one female candidate for management positions at VP level and higher when recruiting), while salaries have undergone “positive change at most levels.” She adds it’ll be “exciting to see the progress when the 2025 reporting is completed.”
At that point, she stresses, new goals and ambitions will be set to continue the drive towards equality.
It’s a focus area particularly close to Ragheeba’s heart, as demonstrated by her participation in a working group to support companies signing up to WISTA’s 40 by 30 pledge (mirroring Skuld’s 40% commitment, but by 2030). Here she’s joined by other professionals from the maritime world to help create a roadmap, launching in 2025, outlining how signatories can turn their good intentions into tangible progress to achieve goals.
“More details should be available by the summer,” she notes, “but it’s a good example of how we can take individual experience and, collectively, have a positive ripple effect through the industry. It’s a really rewarding project.”
Community care
Our efforts extend beyond our organisation in support of the maritime LGBTQ+ community. “We have initiatives within Skuld,” she comments, emphasising that the focus on Pride is not just in June but all year round. “We spent time last year considering how we could support the community further afield.”
The team decided that partnering with other stakeholders would increase the impact of our efforts, particularly the Sailors’ Society, a global charity that supports seafarers and their families in need. Skuld raised the necessary funds for the charity to establish and promote an LGBTQ+ peer-to-peer support group for seafarers and a female helpline (to support Sailors Society’s already established female peer-to-peer support group), helping deliver a sense of virtual community for sailors around the world.
“It’s up and running now,” says Ragheeba, “and, from what we’ve heard, it’s had an excellent level of sign-up in terms of nationalities and is one of the most diverse support groups they operate.”
Reporting progress
Back within the walls of Skuld, the company is more diverse than ever, with 36 nationalities represented on the payroll. However, with a nod back to her initial comment, Ragheeba is keen to point out that another one of the three key letters is arguably the most important when it comes to unlocking true value and belonging: the I.
“Diversity is a strategic goal for Skuld and unquestionably an advantage in its own right,” she comments. “That said, there has to be a culture in place to gain the full benefits of diversity… it’s not an automatic process. So, inclusion is critical. We want all our employees to feel welcome, express their ideas and personalities, and access open lines of communication, throughout the business. It’s easy to say this, of course, but to achieve it we have to work structurally and continuously.”
As a result, she stresses, in-depth reporting and clear accountability are essential. Skuld conducts its own internal evaluations and assessments, but also follows all statutory activity and reporting regulations, while taking a proactive approach to upcoming requirements.
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has been a key focus for Ragheeba and her colleagues this year, preparing for the first mandated reports in 2026 (on the 2025 financial year).
“The requirements regarding CSRD are much more stringent than existing standards,” she says. “But we see that as a good thing. There will certainly be challenges, but it creates clarity with regard to structure and transparency, putting everyone on a level playing field. This should also work to accelerate positive change throughout the business world. And that, as you can probably tell, is something we embrace here at Skuld.”
Thriving culture
On the subject of embracing, Ragheeba is fully behind Skuld’s established ‘3+2’ office culture (giving all employees the flexibility of working up to two days a week at home), but underlines the importance of physical presence as a means of both promoting inclusion and dissolving any ingrained unconscious biases.
“We had an event in September where we invited all Skuld employees, from all over the world, to Norway for a three-day company gathering in Geilo, a beautiful mountain resort,” she explains. “This was a fantastic way to cement our culture and a sense of belonging. Emails and video meetings are excellent tools, but meeting in person is still the bedrock for forming optimal understanding, communication and relationships. Personally, I thrive on being with my colleagues, and it’s a sign of Skuld’s inclusive culture that we were all invited to this event, not just the senior management.”
Ragheeba finishes by underlining a sense of balance within her own working life that, she believes, delivers strong foundations for future development.
“I’m working on issues I feel passionately about,” she smiles, “doing something important to make a great company to work for, hopefully, even better. We spend so much of our lives working that it’s essential we feel accepted, valued and satisfied. At the end of the day, that’s probably the best concrete result we can achieve!”