Women of maritime: IRI’s Laura Sherman on managing corporate and career growth

When Laura Sherman joined the International Registries Inc (IRI) as a marketing co-ordinator in 2001, The Marshall Islands Registry had just over 300 vessels totaling over 9M gross tons, ranking it as the 14th largest ship registry in the world.

“During my formative years with IRI, when the Marshall Islands Registry was in its infancy and IRI only had seven worldwide offices, it was challenging to get the press to cover the registry. As the registry grew, and our reputation of quality tonnage and exceptional service became more largely known, these hurdles began to subside,” Ms Sherman tells us.

The Marshall Islands Registry is now one of the world’s top maritime registries, with a fleet of 5,805 vessels, aggregating more than 200.9M gross tons. IRI provides administrative and technical support for the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) maritime and corporate registries.

Promoted in 2007 to director, marketing and communications, Ms Sherman for the last 11 years has served as IRI’s senior vice president and operations technology officer, working with the different offices and departments to ensure that all aspects of the implementation of IT services were considered across the company. Besides being a member of the senior leadership team, Ms Sherman oversees all the marketing activities for IRI’s 28 worldwide offices.

“I did not set out to be part of the maritime industry,” she discloses. But while pursuing her MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, she was offered an opportunity to work for IRI.

Ms Sherman cites several individuals that inspired and supported during her 20-plus year career:

“Capt Tom Heinan, who ran our maritime operations team when I first joined the company in 2001, had an open-door policy and would share his insight about the industry. He always found the time to mentor young employees like me.”

And Kathy Haines, who she considers a friend, “was an easy communicator and looked out for those of us just joining the industry, particularly women, as we were much fewer in those days.”

“This is an industry of learning and constant challenges”

Former IRI COO, John Ramage, was a “strong mentor,” while Susan Geiger, a partner at K&L Gates, assisted Ms Sherman in better understanding some aspects of the maritime business.

And, lastly, she also enjoyed strong support from the “IRI family,” headed by president, Bill Gallagher.

“IRI has always been supportive of women in maritime, which has made navigating this industry much easier,” she says.

But navigating IRI’s own rapid expansion alongside increasing maritime regulation, emerging technologies and new alternative fuels requires investing in specialised resources, knowledge and skills.

Ms Sherman says: “During my tenure, the company grew from seven offices worldwide to now 28, with nearly 500 employees. The registry has grown from not ranking within the top 10 to being one of the leading registries in the world. With the growth of employees and tonnage, more training and mentoring is needed if we are going to continue to evolve and grow.”

She believes learning, pivoting to face challenges, and finding solutions are keys to a successful maritime career.

“This is an industry of learning and constant challenges that are often overcome by determined, intelligent, and collaborative people, despite the pressures that the global arena places on it,” she concludes.