Charting a Sustainable Future: DP World’s Bronwyn Pountney Leads the Way

Driving Sustainability through Innovative Leadership

In the traditionally male-dominated maritime sector, women like Bronwyn Pountney are redefining leadership and reshaping sustainability on a global scale. Originally from Calgary, Canada – a city historically anchored as an energy production powerhouse but increasingly driven by sustainable innovation – Bronwyn has dedicated her career to aligning business growth with environmental responsibility.

As Environmental Manager for DP World’s Canadian business, Bronwyn is responsible for embedding sustainable practices into all facets of supply chain operations. She draws knowledge from extensive experience leading environmental and regulatory operations across prominent Canadian energy and port organizations. Since joining DP World in 2023, she has become a catalyst for change. As part of her responsibilities, she works on supporting ambitious decarbonization initiatives such as DP World’s hydrogen-fueled rubber-tired gantry (RTG) crane , improving transparency through improved environmental reporting, and integrating sustainable practices into the core of terminal operations.

Based in DP World’s Vancouver office, Bronwyn’s leadership has strengthened DP World's involvement with the Green Marine program, a rigorous certification that sets environmental performance benchmarks across the maritime industry. Bronwyn’s efforts have directly enabled DP World to secure crucial funding to accelerate green innovations and advance the company’s global sustainability goals.

Bronwyn regularly shares her expertise on the global stage. At the 2025 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, she was featured on the panel "Powering Ports through Electrification and Alternative Fuels," where she highlighted DP World’s practical achievements in electrifying port infrastructure, developing shore power systems, and investing in alternative marine fuels to advance the maritime industry’s net-zero goals. Similarly, at the GLOBE Forum 2024, Bronwyn spoke on "Achieving Success Through Value Chain Collaboration Models," emphasizing the importance of partnership and collaborative innovation in reducing supply chain emissions and achieving ambitious decarbonization targets.

DP World Empowers Women 

Bronwyn’s impact goes beyond environmental stewardship, highlighting DP World’s broader commitment to empowering women within its ranks. Recognizing gender equity and diversity as essential components of sustainability, DP World actively invests in mentorship programs, leadership training, and initiatives that elevate women at all organizational levels.

The company's actions match its commitments. In 2018, DP World launched #MentorHer, a global mentorship program designed specifically to support female employees’ career development through direct guidance from senior leaders. The results were impressive. In 2019 alone, 121 women participated, sharing overwhelmingly positive feedback. Looking forward, DP World aims to have 1,000 women complete the #MentorHer program by 2030, further embedding gender equality into its corporate culture.

The company continues to invest in women-specific training and mentoring programs across the globe, especially in the Americas. For example, in Brazil, the number of female employees has soared by 200%, with a 30% increase in women occupying leadership positions over the past five years. Brazil’s “She in Operations” program trains and mentors women in logistics, leading to success stories such as the country's first female wharf operator at the Port of Santos.

In Ecuador, the company’s groundbreaking “Operators for the Future” program actively recruits and trains female employees for traditionally male-dominated roles, such as operating heavy machinery and vehicles. This program exemplifies DP World's proactive approach to creating inclusive workplaces where women can excel and break barriers. In the Dominican Republic, the "Women Forklift Program" trains women to operate heavy port and terminal machinery. The program trained 15 women in 2024 and continues to provide career opportunities previously unavailable to them.

A Vision for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future

Bronwyn’s journey clearly demonstrates that innovation and environmental responsibility are deeply interconnected – each fueling the other. By integrating sustainability into every aspect of DP World’s operations, Bronwyn illustrates how businesses can thrive economically while respecting our planet.

DP World proudly champions women leaders like Bronwyn Pountney, recognizing that a truly sustainable future depends on diverse perspectives, inclusive leadership, and collaborative innovation.

Interested in joining DP World? Check our active job postings here.