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Women in the Marine Industry International will mark its fifth anniversary at Metstrade this November, bringing together four senior women from across the marine sector for a panel discussion that has grown from a pandemic-era experiment into one of the trade show's fixtures.
The programme began in 2021, launched by Michele J. Goldsmith, Vice President and General Manager of the Soundings Trade Only Group, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first gathering drew more than 400 women and men from 13 countries. It struck a nerve immediately.
A year later, Niels Klarenbeek approached Goldsmith about partnering with British Marine, which had been developing similar programming for women at the Southampton International Boat Show. That conversation led to a partnership that later grew to include the UK-based Marine Industry News, and together with Metstrade, the group staged its first Women in the Marine Industry International panel and breakfast at Metstrade in 2022.
The 2026 edition lands on Wednesday, November 18, from 8.30am to 10.30am, with doors opening at 8am ahead of a light breakfast, the panel, and networking. Attendance is free but requires separate registration using action code MET4230, even for those who already hold a Metstrade show ticket.
This year's panel brings together Lauren Beckstedt, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Brunswick Corporation; Paulee Day, President and Chief Executive Officer of West Marine; Victoria Low, CEO of The Magenta Project; and Erna Rusi, CEO of Saxdor Yachts.
The conversation will centre on a single, pressing question: how does the marine industry attract, retain and develop the people who will lead it next?
Goldsmith says the event has never really been only about the women speaking on stage. "It is about everyone in the room, those who have built careers over decades, those just beginning, those considering their next step, and those who are in a position to help someone else take theirs."
That sentiment was echoed in a piece published by The Superyacht Times after the inaugural panel, which described the atmosphere on stage as "one of support and mutual respect for each other's struggles as well as achievements." The writer noted the irony that speakers praised their own role models "without recognising that they themselves were acting as a beacon of hope for the younger women starting out, myself included."
There's also a charitable element to this year's event. Since 2025, the community around Women in the Marine Industry International has partnered with Room to Read, a global nonprofit dedicated to improving literacy and education for children and supporting girls in developing skills and opportunities for the future.
Over the past two years the group has raised more than $10,000 for Room to Read, helping provide books, resources and mentorship. This year's goal is considerably bigger, $25,000, enough to help fund an entire school.
Five years on, the door Goldsmith opened during the pandemic is still open. Plenty of people have walked through it since.
