Crew Manager
- HR / Recruitment
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Leonard Harbottle
Personal Nationality: British
Sex: Male Marital Status: Married
An ambitious and experienced marine human resources professional who is completely focussed on the recruitment and retention of competent and capable seafarers. Well informed on all current and developing crewing issues with high profile contacts within the global maritime industry.
Employment / Experience
March 2016 to September 2019 – Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd. (Nakilat) Doha, Qatar – Head of Marine Personnel
Delegated responsibility by the Chief Operating Officer Fleet (COO) to develop, establish, implement, monitor and maintain the corporate crewing strategy, policies and procedures of the organisation with regards to marine personnel serving on board the wholly owned vessels of Nakilat.
Recently, introduced in-house crew management (IHCM) for 4 VLGC’s and 10 LNG/C’s. Now planning IHCM for 1 x FSRU, 7 x LNG/C’s and 4 x new build LNG/C’s in 2020.
The wholly owned fleet consists of 25 x QMax & QFlex LNG/C’s. We also manage 4 x QFlex in a joint venture with International Seaways Inc and 4 x VLGC’s in a joint venture with Qatar Navigation. Nakilat owns a further 40 x LNG/C’s and a FSRU in joint ventures with other ‘blue chip’ ship operators who manage these vessels. We actively share benchmark data and best practices.
The current seafarer pool is approximately 1300+ seafarers primarily sourced from Croatia, India, Philippines, Poland and Qatar. Ensure that the ship-based employees of the organisation are provided with the appropriate and ample opportunities for career development and see that the contractual obligations of the company are honoured.
Develop criteria for third party crew administrators, tender invitation, pre-qualification selection criteria and appointment of third-party crew administrators when required. The HOMP shall also establish and monitor the performance of third-party crew administrators against agreed KPIs.
Develop programs and maintain relationships with third parties to ensure that Nakilat can attract, develop and retain the best personnel in the maritime sector. Conduct appraisals and recommend qualified marine personnel for promotions and ensure that they are ethical, fair and equitable. Assess the performance of ship managers and other sub-contracted parties concerned with implementing marine personnel employment requirements and provide oversight and support to ensure control, compliance and overall performance.
Establish and maintain information sources that provide a global perspective of the developments which affect marine personnel and the ability of the company to hire quality manpower. Establish and maintain benchmark data of the competition for sea staff and recommend changes as and when required.
Manage department staff/teams by overseeing their performance management, recruitment, training and development to ensure high levels of engagement and competence. Contribute to managing change in own team by providing inputs for and taking part in change initiatives, programmes and projects that are aligned with the best practice.
Oversee and ensure compliance to all relevant HSSEQ policies, procedures and controls. Ensure that Nakilat provides a safe, world class, secure and environmentally responsible service to its customers, the public and its own people.
Prepare the manning budget, and monitor its expenditure, whilst ensuring the optimal utilization of all available resources to protect Nakilat’s interest. Develop the Marine Personnel Department policies, procedures and systems and ensure their proper implementation to support achieving the corporate objectives.
Maintain an extensive network of industry contacts/information sources to anticipate challenges and opportunities affecting the provision and retention of high-quality seafarers.
Manage and support Nakilat’s Qatari and non-Qatari Marine Cadet program to ensure there is enough intake to sustain the Company business on a long-term basis.
Advise and support the company on all issues related to marine personnel and carry out any other duties as directed by the COO.
May 2009 to March 2016 – BW Fleet Management Pte Ltd. Singapore – Senior Manager Marine Personnel & Training
Reporting to the Head of Marine Personnel on the following issues:
Fulfilling all aspects of manpower planning for the assigned fleet through efficient cooperation with manning agents, crewing affiliates and the management of international sea staff pools comprising British, Chinese, Filipino, Indian and Romanian seafarers, total 2500 +
In conjunction with the Marine HR development function, manage and administer the talent and performance management system covering the entire employee lifecycle from entry to exit.
Ensure good communication with the Technical, Marine and Operations department for efficient manning information flow. Support the management with reward and compensation recommendations for sea staff. Assist with resolving complex employee relations issues to maintain morale and employee satisfaction.
Manage all legal issues arising from manning activities and work closely with unions and industry bodies both national and international (SMEF/IMEC/ITF etc). Regular visits to our appointed manning agents, attendance at crewing seminars and regular ship visits.
Stay current with the industry and market and ensure compliance with all statutory and legal requirements (STCW 2010, MLC 2006 etcetera). Prepare and manage the vessels’ manning budget which is more than USD 60 million.
Assisting the Head of Competence in developing policies and with the planning and arranging of STCW, cadet, customer and company sponsored training including officer conferences in India, Norway, Singapore and the Philippines.
Manage direct reports and the marine personnel team ensuring team structures and job definitions, targets and objectives, KPI’s, recruitment, appraisals, feedback, training and development and reward allocation are all administered in keeping with company culture and guidelines.
To actively participate in the development of the quality management system and engage in the process for the continuous improvement of departmental procedures.
Ensuring compliance with all the crewing procedures as detailed in the Fleet Management System.
Previous Employment
2007 – 2009 - Thome Ship Management, Singapore – Fleet Marine Personnel Manager
2005 – 2007 – OSG Ship Management (UK) Ltd. – Group Crewing Manager
2001 – 2005 – OSG Ship Management (UK) Ltd. – Senior Crew Manager.
1980 – 2001 – Souter Shipping Limited – Crew Manager/Operations Assistant.
1978 – 1980 – Souter Hamlet Limited – Spares/Purchasing & Wages Clerk.
1977 – 1978 – W.A. Souter & Co. Limited – Spares/Purchasing Clerk.
Professional Qualifications
2018 - Bureau Veritas ISO 9001:2015 – Lead Auditor (QMS) Training Course.
2014 – MBA in Shipping & Logistics – Grade 5 Merit (Upper Second Class Honours).
2014 – Crisis & Media Training.
2012 - Personal Efficiency Programme (PEP).
2010 - Introduction to Project Management.
2010 - Tap Root Incident Investigation.
2006 - Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Interests
My family, football & vinyl record collecting mainly ‘rare soul’ 45’s.
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