Twenty-three years ago two sailors came together and started a business which essentially focused on transmitting the training they received overseas to better prepare those entering the maritime industry. Today that business has blossomed into an all-women controlled one that has tapped into preparing men and women for the oil and gas industry.
At the helm of MATPAL Marine Institute Inc is Coleen Abrams, who in an interview with this newspaper not only spoke of the success of the institute which has trained some 6,000 people over the years, but also about the tragedy that eventually catapulted her to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of the company
She described becoming involved in the maritime industry as a paradigm shift which happened when she became a widow at the age of 32 with three young children.
