Greek-Filipina breaks cross-cultural barriers in maritime

Greek-Filipina breaks cross-cultural barriers in maritime
Yashika F. Torib March 9, 2022 https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/03/09/business/maritime/greek-filipina-...

CONFIDENT, straightforward, honest and progressive. Kate Bollanou is every bit the epitome of an empowered woman whose personality is tempered by a mixed ancestry of the proud and passionate Greeks and hardworking and adaptable Filipinos.

Unlike the typically shy and reserved Filipina, Bollanou is candid and articulate, the one "who talks the most in every situation," as she puts it. Her natural empathy and warmth carried her through the first rough years of working in the male-dominated maritime industry.

"When I started as a shipbroker in London, I felt I didn't belong. At the time, I was the youngest and only woman on the team. The only expatriate. There were daily interactions that made me feel excluded," Bollanou said.

She transformed the "hurtful and traumatic" experience into positive advocacy and established the Kate Bollanou Coaching company, an intercultural communication consultancy that helps maritime companies develop their teams' communications skills for more effective collaboration and increased productivity.

"I see it as my duty to help others navigate similar situations that I've been in," Bollanou explained.

"Being biracial gives me a natural ability to see a situation from two different angles. I understand how other people can perceive reality differently, and this perception is often affected by each person's cultural background.

"In 2017, after six years of working as a shipbroker, I decided to start my business and help women in maritime succeed in their careers. After working with several women and companies, I realized that culture also plays a role in how people experience their work environment," she said.

On Filipino Seafarers

As a Greek-Filipina maritime professional who has lived and worked in Greece, England, Dubai and the Philippines, Bollanou specializes in the communication between Europeans and Southeast Asians.

According to her observations, the biggest intercultural communication concerns hounding the Filipinos stem from their cultural characteristic of being naturally reserved and shy.

"The biggest challenges Filipino seafarers and companies report to me are speaking up and dealing with confrontation. The Filipino culture avoids confrontation to maintain the harmony of relationships and to save face. Most Filipinos perceive disagreement and confrontation as a personal attack and, thus, are not comfortable with these.

"Unfortunately, this is not the case with other cultures who are comfortable with disagreeing and with challenging others.

"When I train Filipino seafarers to deal with confrontation, I help them make a clear distinction between challenging one's opinion and a personal attack. These two concepts are separate for most Westerners, and that's the most significant communication difference between Filipinos and other European seafarers," Bollanou explained.

"It all starts with your mindset. The way you perceive yourself directly affects how people perceive you. You need to understand that adjusting your communication style is a leadership trait.

You can't act in the same way in every environment. Learning to carry yourself confidently and speak up can be done with grace and professionalism. It's a skill, and it can be improved. It's just a matter of practice," she furthered.

Breaking cross-cultural communication barriers

Bollanou hails from a maritime family with ancestry anchored on two of the oldest maritime nations in the world — Greece and the Philippines. This, along with her degree and experience in the hospitality industry, honed her interpersonal skills and adaptability. She also completed a master's degree in shipping and commercial law.

Today she coaches maritime executives and seafarers to help them lead with more inclusive leadership techniques.

"I work with maritime organizations to create bespoke soft skills training on intercultural communication and inclusive leadership so that their seafarers and office-based employees feel valued, respected and, ultimately, remain within the business," she said.

The pandemic has also taken her adaptability and grit to another level. It was during this time that she developed a membership club for women in maritime to help them develop their leadership skills.

As a person, Bollanou is forthcoming and candid. "I'm emotionally expressive, and I feel comfortable around people," she said. "My values of honesty, progress and integrity are reflected in both my personal and professional life. I am a person of my word, I am very straightforward, and my pet peeve is people avoiding responsibility by deflecting or lying."

Kate lives with her husband and two daughters in the United Kingdom.

"Having a young family means I don't have much free time. But I do make time to go to the gym, eat healthily and rest because I know that to take care of my girls and run my business successfully, I first need to take care of myself," she concluded.