Virgin Voyages announces Scarlett Lady Captain
Virgin Voyages have announced Scarlet Lady's first captain will be Canadian born Captain Wendy Williams at an event in Toronto by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Voyages President and CEO Tom McAlpin. Captain Williams will become the first Canadian woman for a major cruise line to become come a captain when she takes the helm of the new 2,770-guest Scarlet Lady in spring 2020.
In a prepared statement by the cruise line “Captain Wendy’s extensive maritime background makes her an excellent choice to lead the Scarlet Lady, but it is her spirit and drive to approach life at sea differently that make her the perfect fit to join the Virgin Voyages family,” said Tom McAlpin, president and chief executive officer for Virgin Voyages.
Williams, who is originally from the coastal city of Sept-Îles, Quebec on the Northeastern coast of Canada, has an extensive marine background having worked for more than 28 years at sea including more than a decade in commerical fishing in Canada and a ferryboat captain, in addition Captain Williams has spent more than 15 years working on the bridge of mega cruise ships & her role with Virgin Voyages wiill be become her first as a Master of a cruise ship.
Captain Williams went on to say “I have salt water in my veins and nothing brings me more joy than being at sea, It’s a dream come true to be working with Virgin Voyages, a company that is focused on creating an incredible experience not only for our Sailors but for our Crew as well; while also taking action to minimize our footprint on our oceans.”
Last year, Virgin Voyages announced its Scarlet Squad program, an initiative designed to help bridge the gender gap in leadership roles across the maritime industry, where currently women represent less than three percent of the workforce, a Virgin statement said.
As part of the program it aims to recruit, support and mentor female shipboard talent, and to grow opportunities for leadership roles in marine, technical and hotel management positions on board, so far the line has already recruited nearly a dozen female officers including the hotel director, saftey officer, environmental officer plus a host of female engineering officers.