87 attractive to residents and holidaymakers. We’re having conversations with colleges around how to help young adults on the island to get jobs, work experience, apprenticeships and so on. And we’re talking about having more events and festivals with tourist organisations.” The company has also launched ‘meet the team’ events, giving customers the opportunity to speak directly with employees from across the business, including senior decision-makers. “It’s for anyone who wants to drop in and have a conversation,” says Taylor. “I went to one recently and I spoke very openly about the different challenges, both big and small, that we face and about some of the decisions we have to make. Transparency is key for me. “I think one of the biggest frustrations that people have in life is not being heard and feeling like decisions are made by someone else. We want to address that. Port managers, head of fleet, operations personnel, etc, are at these events and people can have gritty conversations if they want to. This has been a proud new thing for me – I feel like people who have been to those events see that our staff go the extra mile, and that customers can talk to people who actually make decisions.” That commitment to openness also extends beyond the organisation. In May 2026, Wightlink hosted an Interferry meeting on the Isle of Wight, giving delegates the opportunity to see the company’s operations first hand while exchanging ideas with ferry operators from around the world. “It was a great opportunity for our team to talk to industry leaders from across the world,” says Taylor. “You learn something from every conversation you have. The meeting definitely opened our eyes to what is happening elsewhere – you can’t visit every ferry company in the world, so Interferry opens a window into that for us.” Taylor will continue those conversations at Interferry’s 50th Annual Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, held from 31 October to 4 November 2026, where she will speak about empowering employees and creating workplaces where people are encouraged to contribute. “I’ll be focusing on what I feel strongly about: how we manage our people,” she says. “The maritime sector can be quite old-fashioned in how it’s managed people. I believe the best businesses are run where people are empowered to make decisions for themselves. You need to move away from some of that traditional hierarchy if you want people to speak up.” “ You can’t visit every ferry company in the world, so Interferry opens a window into that for us” Phil Jelly from the Isle of Wight Bus and Rail Users Group speaking with Wightlink CEO Katy Taylor during one of the company’s regular ‘Meet the team’ sessions, where members of the public can share concerns or ideas for improving the ferry services INTERVIEW
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