Headsup! TOOL Female Founders & Owners Collective

Establishing TOOL 5 years ago, one of my personal key goals was to build a digital platform and ecosystem for bridging gaps and exploring systemic redesign of outdated barriers in our industries. Over the past 10 years, we have seen multiple glass ceilings shattered, and many of us (me included) has also explored the glass cliff experience... Which means, when you´re in a crisis or disruptive shift, and you´ve tried everything without succeeding - then try giving a women the chance to lead 😜

For me, the ultimate glass ceiling to be shattered in maritime, is the shipowner role. As we see more and more women taking over legacy shipping companies founded by previous generations, I want to see the next and even cooler milestone achieved - actively contributing and connect resources to make the first female-founded clean shipping company entering operation and sailing the seven seas a reality.

This is an overarching goal that keeps me incredibly motivated as we build TOOL. In a tough, cyclical and heavily competitive market undergoing huge transformation, this is both a hardcore and ambitious target. One that I´m certain that we will deliver on.

Our approach is the following one - it takes a village to raise a startup. With TOOL we´re building this specific village. Uniting female founders, actors who represent funding & scaling resources, the supply chain partners, cargo owners and the strategic door openers and enablers.

Flagship Founders in TOOL´s Founders & Owners Collective

Per today we are supporting 3 Flagship Founders and entrepreneur shipowners, each representing pioneering clean ship companies in different segments. In our new platform we will follow their journeys closely, sharing the progress and growth of their amazing work with all of you - so that you can also become part of the collaborative tribe of supporters and enablers.

These are accompagnied by a growing group of remarkable founders and inspiring ambassador role models from across different segments and parts of the world, sharing the collaborative principles and commitment to clean, inclusive transition of our industries.

Danielle Southcott - Veer Group 🇨🇦

Having dedicated her life to the sea, Danielle was named by the Royal Institute of Naval Architects as one of the most influential women of the past century. Her mission is to be the clean shipping generation leader. Danielle accepted a gold medal from the governments of Canada and Costa Rica on behalf of SAILCARGO INC., a company she founded. From the Great Lakes of Canada, Danielle began sailing at age 13. A graduate of the ‘’Enkhuizer’’ Sea Academy, she learned Dutch to graduate. She holds a 200T masters ticket which empowered her to captain the flagship of Barbados, schooner Ruth. Danielle wrote and implemented the successful launch of Ruth, which was the largest ship built in the history of the country. She is co-founder of a Costa Rican non-profit that plants thousands of trees and creates jobs in a vulnerable coastal community.

Sophie Galvagnon - Selar 🇫🇷

Sophie Galvagnon is a maritime explorer and entrepreneur, renowned as the youngest captain decorated with the French Maritime Merit. With a decade of experience navigating the challenging waters of the Arctic, she has established herself as the first French woman officer on ice-breakers, an ice pilot, and captain of different polar expedition ships . She is an expert in mapping and discovering new areas, always pushing boundaries.

Beyond her maritime accomplishments, Sophie is a dynamic force in the business world. She has successfully launched, developed, and managed polar expedition cruising companies, as well as consulted for the biggest shipping companies and renowned polar explorers.

With Selar, she is currently building a next generation cruising company, leading the way to decarbonate the industry. Their first vessel is under construction, with rigid sails fitted with solar panels. With a capacity of 36 passengers and 24 crew, Selar aims to be the first cruise ship powered by renewable energy - creating a new model for ultra-low-emission expedition vessels.

The ship will rely on the wind for most of the time, or on solar energy that is captured and either used directly or stored in batteries to power the boat at a reduced speed. The back-up engine will be used as little as possible, and will run on HVO fuel (a biofuel made from vegetable oil).

Agnes Arnadottir - BRIM Explorer 🇳🇴

Agnes left her family company to go green, and co-founded Brim Explorer in 2018, developing a new standard for tourism vessels. The first ship hybrid-electric ship “Brim” is currently operated from Tromsø, while the second ship “Bard” has been operating in Svalbard since May 2021. Agnes has a background as policy advisor in the Environmental NGO Bellona within the field of maritime industry and electrification. 

BRIM has developed and operate 5 silent, clean vessels for year-round tourism, with pioneering technology development radically extending reach, while protecting ocean life.

Get to know the Ambassadors of TOOL Female Founders & Owners Collective

In the coming months we will introduce the TOOL Female Founders & Owners Club. Women founders around the world who we will follow closely, building up a collective of SEAnfluencers to show you the everyday life of female entrepreneurship behind the scenes. We aim to inspire many more women to become founders, owners and investors - and to inspire the new generations of girls to explore the exciting and rewarding life journey of choosing an ocean focused career.

Madadh MacLaine, Founder of ZESTAs & ZEM-Tech 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Madadh is a visionary entrepreneur working in sustainability and the maritime sector, recognized as Lloyd's List top 100 influential profiles of shipping 2023. As Secretary-General of the Zero Emission Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs), she´s on a mission to create a platform for zero emission ship technologies (ZEST) to collaborate on zero emission ship projects. She is the Founder and CEO of Zero Emissions Maritime Technology Ltd (ZEM-Tech) Secretary-General of the Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs), co-founder of the International Windships Association (IWSA), as well as Founder Director of the sustainable development NGO, Fair Winds Trust.

Sanjam Gupta, Founder of Maritime SheEO.

Sanjam is a 2nd generation owner and Director for Sitara Shipping Ltd. and Astral Freight Forwarders. She serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the World Maritime University, on the Diversity Committee of the International Chamber of Shipping, and is a gender expert empanelled by the UN ESCAP and IMO.

She has been a trailblazing advocate for Diversity in the Maritime Industry, and is among the most profiled women of India´s maritime industry. In 2019 she founded the Maritime SheEO Conference 2023, renowned worldwide as the largest and most influential gathering in the maritime industry for conversations on diversity.

Sanjam is founder of WISTA India and a former Board Member of WISTA International. She has won several awards, the most prominent being the Sandvik Gender Award –for her outstanding contribution and commitment to gender equality. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals awarded her “Woman of the Year 2019” in March 2019. In June 2019 she was invited as part of a High Level panel initiative by The Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, comprising a group of world leaders from coastal states committed to ocean action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Caitlin Hardy, Founder of Ness Sea, Board member at Washington Maritime Blue cluster 🇺🇸

Caitlin Hardy is an accomplished professional in the maritime and technology sectors, currently serving as the Managing Director and Founder of Ness Sea, a strategic consulting firm at the intersection of maritime and tech, supporting both the commercial and defense spaces.

She serves as Board member at Washington Maritime Blue, Advisory Board member of Women Offshore and Editorial Board member of Lloyd´s List. Previous board roles include WISTA USA and Sound Experience.

Previously, Caitlin held the position of President at Kongsberg Underwater Technology, LLC and VP of Kongsberg Discovery US from April 2023 to July 2024, where Caitlin contributed to the establishment of a new business area focused on Sensors and Robotics. Caitlin also served as VP Programs Americas and Head of Kongsberg Underwater Technology, LLC at Kongsberg Maritime from July 2021 to April 2023.

Her background includes key roles at Polyverse Corporation, ioCurrents, Holland America Line, Foss Maritime Company, and Crowley Maritime. Caitlin's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the UW Foster School of Business.

Joanna Pawluczuk, Founder & Managing Partner at 2Market Global 🇸🇬

Joanna´s 2Market Global is a consultancy focusing on new technologies in shipping and logistics. They support startups entering the Asian markets, and provides comprehensive go-to-market, growth, and sales strategies for startups and scaleups, offering both design and execution services on a full-time or fractional basis.

Joanna has extensive experience working with both corporates and startups in transport innovation space. Prior to establishing her current venture, Joanna spent 14 years in Senior and Executive roles at DHL and Toll Global Forwarding. She is also a Lead Mentor at the German Accelerator Southeast Asia, PortXL and CRIB (a social enterprise empowering women to become successful entrepreneurs).

Michele Legernes, Co-founder of Marea Oslofjord 🇳🇴/🇺🇸

Michele co-founded and lead the association "Marea", which focuses on low-trophic organisms and regenerative aquaculture in the Oslofjord. MAREA is short for MARine Ecosystem Accounting - for integrated coastal planning in the Oslofjord. She has a daytime job as marine biologist in Bellona Foundation, with a background as system controller in BRIM Explorer, and a Masters in Marine Ecology from University of the Virgin Islands.

MAREA´s focus is on how mapping and valuation of ecosystem services can help turn the tide on ecosystem degradation of urbanizing coastal areas. Natural accounting can be used to demonstrate the value of nature in an economic accounting model, including economic activity, sustainability, and welfare related to the sea and coast.

Stay tuned - and SEA you soon 🧜‍♀️