Kathleen Offman Mathisen, the chief Human Resources officer (CHRO) at salmon farmer Grieg Seafood, spends a lot of her time focusing on diversity and its merits.
"Diversity creates value for the business," Mathisen said. "It's important for the bottom line."
One of the ways to reach diversity goals is to ensure that those women who are in the seafood industry role model what it takes to be successful. Often times, that is belief in oneself, Mathisen said.
"A lot of the men that I've worked with have promoted me -- but I did something myself. It's not just that people need to create opportunities around you: You have to reach your hand up," Mathisen said. "Because if you do not believe you are able to take a leadership role, who else will believe in you?"
Women should be reaching out to mentor other promising women at their company to reach greater heights and grow, she said.
"Sometimes, it's the women that are stopping other women from reaching the top," Mathisen said. "That's something we need to think about."
Taking the time for a coffee or a lunch to talk with a colleague that needs advice or support is a small price to pay for developing talented new people.
"It's often females that want to know what you've been doing, how have you been successful? But you also need to talk about your mistakes, so other people can learn from them," Mathisen said.
