Influential Woman · Maritime

Gokce Atay

Senior Operations Manager

Houston, TX

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Attended college for dairy and dairy products (not completed) Cert IMO Certifications Cert BIMCO Certifications

Her Story

About Gokce

I am a Senior Operations Manager with 25 years of experience in the maritime industry, and 20 of those years have been with the same company through multiple ownership transitions. I started with IBEX Maritime in 2005, and as I like to say, I've been changing my CV without changing my chair for a very long time - the company was sold to ARIA, then to Uni-Tankers. I headed the operations department in Istanbul for 8 years before my company asked me to relocate to the U.S. to improve operations here with my team, based on my experience. Now I'm responsible for our chemical tankers trading within the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. I lead a team that handles every moment of those ships - loading and discharging cargoes, all documentation, customs, customer relations, and the ships' day-to-day needs like fuel, water, and cleaning chemicals. We also maintain constant correspondence with the crew to keep them in line to perform the contracts as agreed. Before joining this company, I worked as a bunker trader and in chartering and operations for another shipowner's office in Turkey.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Gokce

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to determination. I wouldn't stop before solving stuff - I won't let it go. In operations, you have to do things properly, avoid accidents and delays, and when things are going smoothly, that's our achievement. You have to be always top-notch, always on top of what you're doing, and in a couple of sentences, you can give the message that they're not dealing with just a baby doll. I've always been very intrigued by the technical and legal parts of what I'm responsible for, constantly educating myself not only on technical matters but also culturally, because we're working in a worldwide maritime business - today we're dealing with Americans, the other day with the Danish, with Ghanese, with everybody, every time.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

The best thing about our industry is you have to multitask a lot. You have to be focused, you have to be aware, and you have to constantly educate yourself - not only on technical matters, but also culturally. Since we are working in a worldwide maritime business, today we are dealing with Americans, the other day we're dealing with the Danish, we're dealing with Ghanese, and we're dealing with everybody, every time. So cultural awareness is also very important to be in this industry. You also need to know that this is a business 24-7 - ships never stop, they don't have Christmas, they don't have Hanukkah, they don't have nothing. When they need your assistance and if they are in trouble, you have to stop everything socially and just take care of them. That's something you have to know before starting to get into this industry - it can take your soul up.

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