Ms Smith joined the ITF in October 2014 as the Maritime Coordinator. Prior to that, she led the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union (NSU) and its 11,000 members for almost 8 years. She became an active member of the NSU in 1992 as a shop steward, securing a collective bargaining agreement for concessionaries, a first for the Union. In 1998 she was elected as a delegate to congress, then as a deputy on the National Board, immediately followed by being invited to be the Assistant Director dealing with cruise ships in Miami, USA. In 2002 she was asked to stand for election as Secretary, so returned to Oslo, Norway. She was elected NSU President in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.
The University particularly welcomes the appointment of Ms Smith as the ITF has been a long-standing supporter and partner of WMU. ITF is an international federation of transport workers' trade unions established in 1896, and one of several global unions federation unions which are members of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The University has worked with the ITF on several projects including the current research project “ITF Transport 2040 - Phase II - Maritime” that follows on the 2019 flagship report entitled “Transport 2040: Automation Technology Employment - the Future of Work”, also funded by the ITF. Other recent projects through the ITF Seafarers’ Trust include the ground-breaking seafarer welfare training programme MARI-WEL, and A Culture of Adjustment research report that underlines systemic failures in the implementation of the regulatory regime for seafarers’ hours of work and rest. Through the Trust, the ITF has funded the education of 133 WMU students from 45 countries, 40% of whom are female maritime professionals. The ITF additionally offers their fellows a week-long field study in London that includes a visit to their headquarters.
Regarding her appointment, Ms. Smith said, “It is a great honour to be asked to serve as a Board Member of the WMU. The ITF, along with the IMO and WMU, has strengthened its relationship for the safety, security and benefit of the maritime industry in general, and in particular for seafarers and other maritime workers. I look forward to being a member of the WMU Executive Board and continuing to work together for the improvement and advancement of the maritime industry.”
Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, welcomed the appointment saying, “We are pleased to welcome Ms Jacqueline Smith as the newest member of our Executive Board. She has been to WMU on numerous occasions in her capacity at the ITF. Her wealth of maritime knowledge and understanding of WMU will contribute greatly to the work she will undertake in the interest of the University. We also welcome her appointment in regard to advancing gender diversity in the maritime and ocean industry.”
In accordance with the Charter, WMU’s governance structure consists of a Board of Governors (BoG) and an Executive Board (EB). The IMO Secretary-General is the WMU ex-officio Chancellor. The President directs and administers the University. The 30-member Board of Governors meets annually and the 11-member Executive Board meets no less than three times a year providing oversight between the annual meetings of the Governors. Both the Board of Governors and Executive Board members are appointed by the Secretary-General of IMO.