Dear community,
The Board and I are very happy to announce that Camille Cherques, formerly WSI’s Head of Programs, has now become the new Director of WSI, starting in January 2022. A year ago, Marie-Christine Monfort, WSI co-founder, decided to step down from her position as Executive Director, Board member and treasurer, and so began the process of reorganizing WSI operational team.
In 6 years, Marie-Christine created a vibrant organization, grew WSI supporters and contributors and opened a public debate on gender equality among top seafood companies and international institutions. We deeply thank Marie-Christine Monfort for her vision, immense work, and amazing results. She developed and strengthened WSI as an influential international feminist organization recognized as a first-class source of reliable scientific information on gender issues.
Marie-Christine thanks all genuine allies who supported her in this cause and helped her to build this robust organization from the beginning back in 2016. Foremost members of the board and journalists, academics, members of the industry.
WSI aspires to a seafood industry free of gender inequalities, free of sexism and gender-based discriminations, where men, women and queer people enjoy equal opportunities and working conditions. It is unfortunately still a huge challenge in 2022 with many persisting gender-based discriminations but we are confident that Camille Cherques will lead WSI successfully, taking the NGO to new levels of impacts and development.
Camille Cherques started working at WSI in May 2021 after many years working in sustainability and fishing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degrees in international public law and international cultural management. After creating the podcast iemanja on women and the sea and studying gender and climate change, she became more and more knowledgeable on gender issues. She will allow WSI to continue to raise awareness and call the industry and public institutions to fight its pervasive gender inequalities and move towards a truly sustainable sector where women will thrive and have equal rights and responsibilities. I invite you to join us in warmly welcoming her, wish her the best of success for the year ahead.
« I am really pleased to become WSI new director as a committed feminist and ocean defender. I am honoured to step up into Marie-Christine Monfort’s shoes as she did an amazing work and I am sure we will rise up to future challenges! Working on gender issues particularly in the seafood industry is complex and exciting. Awareness, science, advocacy and cultural transformation are key to make public and private organizations as well as communities gender equal. I am happy to contribute with WSI members to growing and developing WSI activities. I hope 2022 will bring progress and successes for our NGO, for women in the sector and our cause beyond.”
Also join us in greatly thanking Marie-Christine Monfort for her passionate work. We wish her the best for future feminist endeavours.
Best regards,
Christelle Vigot, Chairwoman of WSI