DRIVING PROFESSIONALISM - EMPOWERING LEADERS: TURNING LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES INTO GROWTH & EXCELLENCE
Recent industry analyses have highlighted the detrimental effects of subpar leadership on various negative practices. Furthermore, the media's scrutiny of unprofessional conduct has challenged the industry's reputation for excellence.
To address these concerns, we are seeking actionable strategies and best practices for fostering strong leadership that can effectively support both onshore and onboard teams.
Speakers
Marlies grew up in a small inland town in the Netherlands, discovering her love for travel and sailing during her business studies. During this time, she also developed a fascination with leadership and team dynamics while working as an assistant trainer, creating role-play scenarios for executive corporate training. It was here that she realized how bias and varying information can shape people’s behaviour. After a successful corporate career that allowed her to start exploring the world, she accidentally discovered yachting over 20 years ago and knew she had found a new calling: she has been sailing ever since.
With extensive experience racing and cruising in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, East Coast of the States, Northern Europe and even remote places in the Arctic, Marlies is also an accomplished offshore sailor with numerous Atlantic crossings under her belt. Having worked her way up the ranks on both small and larger sailing and motor yachts, learning valuable lessons from each of her captains and crews - sometimes discovering the kind of leader she did not want to be.
Her curiosity and determination drive her to keep learning, combining personal experiences and insights from the people she works with, along with more formal training. She focuses not only on mastering technical skills but also on personal growth and improving her leadership abilities, so she can be a stronger leader and better support her crew.
- Serial entrepreneur from SMEs to corporates in Emerging markets for 30 years, building companies through resources, Human resourcing, technology, from £2m to £2b turnover
- Experiential Adventures for Luxury/UHNWI/Yachting, with Berkeley Rand, with BWA yachting /luise yachting/A1 greece
- AI engineering in luxury, transport, Yachting creating change and evolution, currently working on funded series of capabilities that aim to change the yachting industry towards a new level of capabilities and services with over 30 clients in yachting/maritime
With the founders' background in organisational psychology and being an ex-seafarer herself, Karine, has proven to build more resilient, productive, and engaged teams, increasing crew retention onboard, and ultimately elevating yacht culture. The Crew Coach helps Superyacht Crew elevate their leadership skills through the GUEST IAMI accredited Advanced Leadership Course, master their mental health through online counselling, as well as provides an exclusive yacht crew online leadership membership for yachting professionals to continue ongoing professional training, access influential mentors and guest experts to aid their professional growth and development.
Karine has been awarded the Acrew Duty of Care Award and was a finalist for the 2022 Mentorship Award. She has been featured in The New Yorker Magazine, London Sunday Times and the Marie-Claire. She also serves on the PYA well-being committee.