This time last week saw the opening of the 11th Maritime HR Association annual conference in London. The two day event grows each year and this year we attracted a record-breaking 127 delegates representing 52 Maritime HR Association member companies and 17 countries.
“Excellent, articulate, interesting and engaging”
• The agenda included some popular, regular speakers including Stephen Gordon (Clarkson Research Services Ltd.) delivering his overview of the shipping market and Heidi Watson (Clyde & Co) who this year delivered a thought provoking session on mental health.
• There was a member case study too – which are always popular as we strive to learn through the experience of others. This year we were proud to showcase Fednav, who blew the audience away with their approach to culture change and appealing to the workforce of the future.
• We were super proud to welcome our first representative from the CIPD to our list of speakers too, and if you need an excuse to crack on with workforce planning this mind-blowing video which Dr Wilson Wong shared with us is definitely worth a look: Did you know video
• Other hot topics included Brexit (and its impact on the workforce), Cyber Security, Gender Diversity and 2 panel discussions (covering change in maritime and the importance of HR strategy) which completed the main auditorium line up.
“Great networking opportunities”
• So the formal speaking slots were a huge success – but we were fairly confident they would be since we had worked hard to make sure the topics were relevant and the speakers knowledgeable.
• However, what continues to amaze us is the openness and friendliness of our members who launch themselves into sharing ideas and experiences through organised working groups but also over coffee, lunch and a few glasses of bubbly.
“Well organised – congratulations to the entire team for a terrific event”
• I’m proud of the great teamwork displayed by the HR Consulting team, since this was pivotal to the success of the event. We sometimes wonder if our desire for continuous improvement means we set our sights too high, but adapting to the changing needs of our members and the industry is the very least we aim to do.
• Fortunately we like a challenge, and already have some new ideas for next year. We are looking forward to seeing lots of the same friendly faces, as well as welcoming more of you into the fold. Roll on conference number 12.
Catch up with the highlights from the conference by viewing the #MaritimeHR hashtag
