Through the enthusiasm of Erik van Prooijen and Louwerens Hoving I took the step to join the MP Group in 2022 and set up Maritime Professionals. Looking back on 2022.
We end the year with an interview by Manon de Jonge of de WoordFabrique with Bas Lokhorst, resource manager at Maritime Professionals. Read more about the 2022 retrospective:
"Every mediation is special and has its own story. We work a lot with expats and see that these professionals see a next step in their career as a 'life changing event' where we find it an honor to be able to accompany this."
Positively surprised
It started in 2016, I was approached by a headhunter recruiting me for the maritime sector. I have been working in staffing solutions since 2001. First through a global staffing agency and then increasingly in niches such as the medical, pharmaceutical, communications and IT sectors.
After introducing and researching the maritime industry, I was positively surprised at the market position of the Dutch sector. Bottom line is international technical recruitment. Where the clients are Engineering Managers or shipyards, where yes is yes and no is no. Which works fine for me. It either fits or it doesn't.
Meanwhile, I learned a lot about designing, engineering and eventually building yachts and commercial vessels. The nice thing is that you can keep developing in this industry by being genuinely interested in innovations and specialties such as fuel, propulsion but also AV/IT, for example.
MP Group
Through the enthusiasm of Erik van Prooijen and Louwerens Hoving I took the step to join the MP Group in 2022 and set up Maritime Professionals. As a sister company of Maritime Projects and Marimecs Marine Design & Engineering dedicated for resource management and project capacity within the Group and for our external relations. I have not regretted this for a moment.
Notable mediation
When asked which candidates or vacancies stood out the most, Bas does not have to think long. "We received a request from a client, a super yacht broker in Monaco, in the middle of September, about a week and a half before the Monaco Yacht Show, to recruit a Technical Project Manager as soon as possible."
While we were in Monaco for the show, I and my colleague Luis Veloso were invited to a lunch at the Monaco Yacht Club, to discuss the proposed candidates. These candidates were immediately called and interviewed and invited for personal follow-up interviews.
On-site interviews followed in the following weeks at the client, an international shipyard and the end client. After which contract negotiations began with the professionals to on-board them for this position. Just a few weeks later, on November 1st, the professionals started. Both client and professionals are very satisfied with our service: quality, speed, thorough procedure and guidance during this process.
Life changing
Every mediation is special and has its own story. We work a lot with expats and we see that these professionals see the next step in their career as a life changing event.
What was your best decision?
Joining the NBBU, Stipp Pension, and setting up GDPR compliance. This by implementing recruitment software OTYS. This povided us after audits the NEN 4400 and SNA certification of the organization. This allows us to stay sharp internally on both the commercial results as well as the processes leading to them.
Decisive recruitment
The goal for 2022 was to establish a vigorous recruitment organization that is complimentary and NEN 4400 / SNA certified, whereby we have framework contracts with the largest market players in the yacht building sector.
Besides doing business with the most renowned companies in ship and yacht building in the Netherlands, we now also have relationships in Monaco and USA that we serve. I am most proud of the entire team for achieving this result. We have common ambitions that we continue to adjust as we achieve our goals.
This is what we will also do in the new year. In 2023, my goal is to further develop marketing. We are going to upgrade the website and give even more attention to our online presence. We also see that due to Maritime Professionals' current stormy growth we expect to welcome more direct recruitment colleagues. New colleagues who will enthusiastically contribute to our (inter) national network of professionals and relations.
Thank you
In closing, Bas would like to thank the following people.
"I would like to thank everyone I have been in contact with in 2022 on behalf of Maritime Professionals. Every professional, their families, our customers, relation, client or supplier who has been involved in this start-up phase. The personal contact and connection I have experienced has left an unforgettable impression."
But in addition, he also thanks the team he has worked with on a daily basis. Laura, Ellen, Marije and the colleagues at Marimecs and Maritime Projects. Finally Hero, Erik and Louwerens who together with Bas form the Management Team within the group.