New mentoring scheme launched for port technology leaders

Year-long programme will pair experienced mentors with emerging IT professionals across the global port sector

Applications have opened for the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Ports Technology Mentorship scheme, which is focused on facilitating targeted knowledge transfer and skills development among its members.

The scheme, which will run for one year, is seeking six emerging or newly appointed technology leaders from IAPH member ports who will benefit from mentorship, alongside six well-established or experienced mentors.

The scheme was unveiled during a Harbor Cafe webinar hosted by the association.

The programme sits under IAPH's World Port Sustainability Program, alongside existing initiatives such as the Port Project Portfolio and the Port Endeavor game. It is the association's second venture into mentoring, following a 2019 pilot that supported women in nautical port professions such as harbour masters and pilots. This time, the focus shifts to established and aspiring technology leaders.

Patrick Verhoeven, IAPH managing director, said the technology focus grew out of discussions within the IAPH Data Collaboration Committee, with the initial idea proposed by IAPH president Jens Meier at the start of his second term of office.

Meier said skills development sits alongside digitisation, sustainability and resilience as one of four pillars guiding his presidency, and that people are at the heart of all of them. IT was a natural starting point, he said, since it functions as the engine room of modern port authorities, underpinning daily operations and enabling secure communication and future transformation of business models. Rather than relying on costly external consultants, the programme allows ports to draw directly on expertise already within the membership.

Programme structure

The concept was developed by Mirjel Neverla, head of the executive board office and international affairs at Hamburg Port Authority, who drew inspiration from Chainport, the international network of smart ports run by Hamburg Port Authority and the Port of Los Angeles. Earlier this year IAPH offered three wildcard places at the Chainport Academy in Gothenburg as an early step towards the new scheme.

The programme will run for 12 months and bring together six mentors and six mentees chosen through a structured application and matching process. Mentees are expected to be early or mid-career professionals seeking to broaden their networks and their understanding of the global port sector, while mentors will be more experienced professionals willing to share their expertise. Both groups need a working knowledge of information technology, though not necessarily a formal technology background.

Participants will focus on major transformation themes including digitisation, artificial intelligence, automation, cybersecurity, data strategy and innovation culture. The year begins with a joint virtual kickoff, followed by three one-to-one online sessions between each mentor and mentee pair, three in-person peer learning roundtables, and optional visits to a mentor's port to observe IT architecture and innovation projects first-hand. A closing session will bring participants together to share the insights gathered over the year.

Nicola Good of 8th Street Communications, a former Lloyd's List and Fairplay journalist who previously coordinated the She Seas exhibition at Lloyd's Register, will coordinate the programme and act as the main point of contact for participants throughout.

Applications and funding

Applications will remain open until the 7 August. Shortlisting will begin shortly afterwards, with a selection meeting planned for the week of 17 August and successful applicants notified on 1 September.

IAPH will fund the programme itself, including speaker costs and venue hire, but participants will need to cover their own travel and accommodation for in-person sessions, with mentors potentially hosting sessions at their own ports. There is no age limit or technical prerequisite for applying, though candidates are encouraged to inform their port authority of their intention to apply, so that any necessary support is in place if they are selected.

Responding to questions during the webinar, organisers said matching would take language and regional factors into account where possible, and that outcomes from the programme, including recorded guest sessions, would be shared more widely with IAPH members where content allows.

Should the pilot year prove successful, IAPH said it would consider running a second edition of the programme in future years.

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