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International Women’s Day has given Joanne Dykes the opportunity to reflect on her position at the helm of a business within a male-dominated industry.

The general manager of City Cruises heads up one of Yorkshire’s most popular sightseeing operations, and is looking forward to the season hitting full swing after a record year.

2021 saw turnover increase 14.7 per cent on 2019’s figures, with 2020 having been hit badly by Covid lockdowns.

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Jo said: “International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the contributions of women and recognise their social, political, and economic achievements but also understand that there is still a way to go to gender equality. To this day, some people I speak to for the first time, especially if it’s about an engineering issue, still presume I am a man - I’m often called Jo for short, so the assumption is I’m Joe.

“I’ve worked in the industry since 1994, and since then I have taken on additional duties heading up recruitment, joining the maintenance team through some of the winter seasons, quayside duties and operational duties which led to me being promoted to operations manager and then promotion to general manager around 17 years ago.

“When women become leaders, they provide a different set of skills and different perspectives. My greatest achievements are the moments when I believe in something new for the business and the team join me in working hard to make things happen. Rosa Parks is a particular inspiration and her bravery led to nationwide efforts to end racial segregation in the US. I would tell all young women entering the industry now to believe in yourself, and you are already half-way there.”

City Cruises was acquired by Hornblower Group in 2019, the leading operator of passenger services on the River Thames.