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TORM’s Leadership Philosophy is the basis for its focused marine recruitment and human resources strategy. Rich in history, forward-thinking in its approach, the ? rm leverages both as it comes together in One TORM.

By Joseph Keefe imon Frank is Vice President and Head of Global Ma- openly discuss challenges, and we have systems in place that rine HR in TORM A/S. Beginning his maritime career can address training needs.”

Swith the Royal Danish Navy; he has seen and experi- All of that sounds good in 2016, but before the conversations enced marine operations ? rst hand in myriad settings, all over can be had and performance challenges addressed, ship opera- the globe. Later, he joined Rohde Nielsen in Denmark as crew tors need to ? nd the right personnel. That task is as challeng- manager before serving at EMS Shipmanagement and then, ing as it has ever been, in part because what is now important as Head of Maritime Personnel at Lauritzen Kosan. Simon’s to seafarers isn’t necessarily the same thing that they wanted crew management experience includes working with a large only a decade prior. Addressing that metric, Frank says, “The range of nationalities, different ship types, and in implementa- mechanisms have changed over the last ten years – especially tion of crew management systems. in the tanker industry. Salary is not so much discussed any-

Simon’s employer is equally experienced, with a history of more – salary is a given. And if you are professional and top operating commercial tonnage for more than 125 years, dating market performer, you will naturally have a salary that match- back to 1889. Because TORM is a pure play product tanker es the market. We don’t spend much time discussing wages company and one of the world’s largest carriers of re? ned oil with our seafarers. Instead, we discuss other topics that are products, manning issues might seem to be less complicated more important today, and these topics typically are welfare than a ? rm which dabbles in more than one sector. That’s not on board – very much including connectivity with internet ac- necessarily true. At TORM, navigating the tricky world of cess. That’s extremely important today.” marine human resources boils down to leadership. In this edi- Even more important, insists Frank, is the need to provide tion, Simon Frank gives us a unique, inside look at the human good quality quarters, and making sure there is the possibil- resources strategy at one of the world’s largest tanker owners. ity for mariners to get ashore. Beyond this, says Frank, the contract length, especially for the ratings where seafarers

TORM’s Leadership Philosophy can be embarked for the longest basis – up to nine months

According to Simon Frank, the TORM Leadership Philoso- – is becoming an important aspect of retaining the best and phy is shaped by three overall dimensions: Performance, Re- brightest. “That’s the next thing that’s going to be under some lations and Personal Leadership. And, honoring that structure kind of pressure. That 9 month stay will likely be reduced to means that the company needs to have a strategy of having 7 or 8 months for ratings in the future. We constantly discuss everything under one roof. “We need to control every aspect employment conditions with our seafarers. We’re not trying of our place in the industry,” explained Frank, adding, “From a to comply with a certain document. Instead, it is much more marine HR perspective, we are over the last year in the process important for us to be able to react when we have these dis- of introducing a concept we call ‘just culture.’ It’s directed cussions with our seafarers directly. Contract length will de? - at creating the right balance between performance-related nitely be the next the next pressure point.” communication, and also fair and open, non-blame commu- TORM operates a large and modern ? eet of product tank- nication. This is about training our seafarers in having robust ers that come in various sizes. Deciding which mariner goes conversations, addressing performance issues, and addressing to which vessel is more complicated than segregating person- our system. Within this open approach, we are not afraid to nel according to experience on a particular sized vessel. For

TORM at a Glance …

Founded: 1889 Type Fleet: Product Tankers Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark

List: Nasdaq Copenhagen Smallest Ship: 35,000 DWTOf? ces: Houston, London, Manila, Mumbai, Singapore

Number of Ships: 78 Largest Ship: 110,000 DWT Number of Seafarers: 3,000.

No. Externally Managed:3Flag: 99% Singapore, Danish Of? ce / Shoreside Personnel: 275 www.maritimeprofessional.com | Maritime Professional | 41 34-49 Q2 MP2016.indd 41 5/19/2016 11:37:37 AM