Mr. Rafael Fernández: What I want to achieve for the International Ship Suppliers & Services Association (ISSA) as President

In this blog entry, Mr. Rafael Fernández, Candidate for President at next month's ISSA Presidency Election, discusses his goals for ISSA.

The 2023 annual Conference and Gala Dinner of the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA) is scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from the 24th to the 25th of October, 2023. The next event will also include the election process for the new President of ISSA. In the present blog post, Rafael Fernández, a candidate contending for the position of President in the next ISSA Presidency Election, articulates his aspirations and objectives for the ISSA organisation.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the future of our great, international organisations and to explain why I have decided to ask for your vote to take ISSA forward as your ISSA President.

A Lifetime Dedicated to Promoting and Defending Shipsupply 

I care so much about a prosperous global and vibrant ship supply industry because I "live and breath ship supply".

I started ship supply operations as a small, local firm in a tiny port in the south of Spain. I realised soon ship supply is a unique and special profession, so I dedicated myself to the maritime industry and ship supplies from a very early age. After 34 years of arduous struggle, I now own a business with branches all around the Spanish coast. I work hard every day to demonstrate to ship owners and managers that they can trust ship suppliers to deliver an extremely high service standards, modern equipment, a dediction to sustainability and technological innovation. Now that I have an excellent Spanish operations team in place, I want to offer you may passion, energy and drive to take ISSA forward into a successful future for us all.

A European by Nationality but A Globalist at Heart

I am delighted to throw my hat in the ring as your European candidate.

As you know, I have been on the OCEAN Board for many years, and I am deeply proud of what OCEAN has achieved in representing the interests of European ship suppliers. I want to commend the efforts of the OCEAN Leadership and Board in promoting a favourable policy and legal environment for European ship supply. 

But as much as I support and stand by my Spanish and European roots, I also know that ship supply is a GLOBAL business. The solution to our challenges must, therefore, also be GLOBAL.

I want to be clear: We can achieve so much more if we work together internationally and benefit from opinions, arguments, initiatives and best practices from ship supply leaders from Australia to Canada, from Argentinia to Japan - in short, from all over the world.

This is why I have developed a detailed, ambitious and inclusive plan of what I would like to achieve during my Presidency. If you have not read it yet, please request it from the ISSA Secretariat. 

My Top 4 Priorities as your Next  President: I S S A

1.  I will set up structures to effectively and positively Influence policy and lawmakers to create ship-supply friendly global ship supply laws and policies. ISSA will work prominently with international organisations like the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to support efforts of national / regional lobby efforts of our members. This must include resilient and collaborative relations with ship owners and managers. 

2. I will future-ready ISSA. This means that I will Strengthen our beloved organization by growing our membership, securing our future by recruiting more women and young people to ISSA and putting ISSA on sound finances.

3.  I will Support our members practically on their day-to-day business activities with learning opportunities, the green transition, and leveraging digital opportunities.

4. Finally, I will Add Value by making the ISSA convention a must-attend event and using social media to broadcast our message around the globe.

My Plan in a Nutshell: I S S A

So, to summarize, my four priorities are:

• Influence
• Strengthen
• Support
• Add-value.

I Ask For Your Support: Vote For Me

Dear OCEAN Members, I would be delighted to put all of my knowledge, experience and passion at your disposal as your next ISSA President. I respectfully ask for your vote to allow me to turn this vision into reality.

Feel free to reach out to me directly for a chat. My door is always open.
Thank you very much once again for your time and consideration

Rafael Fernández