Deborah Layde, Chief Executive of The Seafarers’ Charity, shares how she joined the maritime industry, admitting she finds it more fascinating than she initially expected due to the many efforts underway to improve seafarers’ lives onboard. She highlights the significant contributions made by The Seafarers’ Charity and acknowledges role models within the industry who have greatly advanced seafarers’ rights.
Deborah advises us to stay authentic while adapting to workplace culture and emphasizes the importance of mentoring and coaching for personal development. As she puts it, both receiving coaching and providing it have been invaluable for her career growth.
SAFETY4SEA: How did it come about that you joined shipping industry and your field of expertise specifically?
Deborah Layde: I started in the maritime world with grant making expertise only, but I have come to love the industry even more than I thought, there is so much to celebrate and so many issues that still need tackling to improve the lives of many of our seafarers worldwide, and this is what I love about the industry. I do however have maritime connections, my father was a captain in the Royal Navy and unfortunately was killed at sea in a helicopter crash when I was only 19. My mother was from a small Cornish fishing village and I spent all my childhood around the sea.
S4S: What about your current job/ role most excites you and why?
D.L.: As Chief Executive of the Seafarers’ Charity we have so many opportunities to improve the lives of seafarers far and wide. With an international remit, and approx. £2.5m a year to invest in maritime welfare charities who support the welfare and safety needs of seafarers our Vision is a world where seafarers and their families are free from need and disadvantage. We are built on two foundational pillars – fundraising and grant making. We award funding to support a diverse range of partnership organisations to deliver vital, targeted help where it’s needed most. We fund the essential cost of strong network of maritime welfare services across the global sector and – crucially – tackle seafarer hardship in all its forms, at sea and on land.
S4S: When you think of the word successful who’s the first person who comes to mind and why?
D.L.: In the industry, Gemma Griffin, DFDS, is an icon to many. Passionate about seafarers’ rights and holding a degree in international relations, she has taken an innovative approach to addressing the challenges the industry faces, all within a supportive corporate framework that puts seafarers first. Also, Mark Dickinson, General Secretary of Nautilus, the Union, is a former trustee at TSC who has contributed significantly to the maritime industry. We helped raise Mark’s awareness about superyacht crew welfare issues whilst he was on our Grants Committee and Nautilus went on to support this sector of the industry too for which we are very grateful.
S4S: Who is/was the most influential person/mentor to you & why?
D.L.: My first job was working for Sir Terence Conran. I spent over 10 years in his office and met many incredible people. He cared deeply about people—and, of course, about design—but above all, he was a wonderfully supportive boss. More recently I have been privileged to work with a series of amazing Chairs whilst I was Impact Director, from Surgeon Commodore Peter Buxton to Robert Greenwood MNM, who were both hugely influential in shaping and improving fishing safety globally. Both Chairs not only supported my journey through the charity by using their experience to question, empathise, pushing and also inspiring me to do more and more for seafarers and our charity.
S4S: What is the best and what was the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given and why?
D.L.: The best is just be yourself, if you can’t be true to yourself in the workplace then the culture is not for you. The worst piece of advice was to not apply for a job in the senior management team as it was all men (I ignored it!).
S4S: What is the most worthwhile career investment (in energy, time, money) you’ve ever made?
D.L.: Mentoring and coaching. Both being coached, and having coaching. I am a full qualified coach with the London School of Coaching and there are many elements that have stood me in good stead.
S4S: What would you like to change in the current maritime landscape and your area of expertise specifically and why?
D.L.: As Chair of Maritime UK’s Women in Maritime Network I have supported equity and equality for women seafarers. Their minority status of women in the maritime workforce creates the context for many of the problems experienced and it also gives rise to a greater need for support of their welfare and personal safety. This need was underscored by the research on the Welfare needs of Women Seafarers on cargo ships, funded by The Seafarers’ Charity and conducted by Professor Helen Sampson and Dr. Iris Acejo at the Seafarers International Research Centre, Cardiff University.
Leading on from that work, The Seafarers’ Charity, working with the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and supported by UK P&I Club, together launched a new seafarer-led campaign which highlights the role of allyship in creating safe and inclusive environments on board.
On maritime safety, we continue to push for improved safety and welfare in commercial fishing which employs 38 million seafarers worldwide. The Seafarers’ Charity funded a range of UK fishing safety initiatives as well as managing The International Fund for Fishing Safety to support safety and welfare of fishers globally.
The views presented are only those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
