Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director - SeaLearn

Location: London\-based, with significant time in Nigeria and across global maritime hubs.

Reporting to: Group Managing Director

SeaLearn is the launch vertical of a new vocational training group backed by Union Maritime Limited. We are building a world\-class maritime training business that will educate the next generation of officers at scale — starting in Nigeria, where we are creating the first generation of Nigerian seafarers crewing the world’s ships. The mission is generational: 10,000 officers trained by 2050, in partnership with the Tetra Foundation.

We are looking for a founder\-operator: someone who has built or led a high\-growth training, shipping, or services business before, and who is ready to turn SeaLearn from a launch venture into a category\-defining maritime training platform.

The Position

As CEO / MD of SeaLearn, you will own the maritime training business end to end — strategy, P\&L, cadet pipeline, curriculum, commercial partnerships with shipowners, and onboard placement. You will report to the Group MD and operate with the autonomy of a founder and the backing of an established shipping group.

Requirements Strategic \& Commercial Leadership

• Set the strategy, growth roadmap, and operating model for SeaLearn, with full P\&L ownership


• Build commercial relationships with shipowners, operators, and managers — converting them into sponsors, employers, and long\-term partners


• Deliver against ambitious cadet, revenue, and unit\-economic targets

• Build a maritime curriculum that meets international STCW standards and sets a new benchmark for quality


• Lead delivery across classroom, simulator, and sea\-time placement


• Establish and run training centres in Nigeria and future hubs

• Attract, develop, and retain a world\-class team of maritime instructors, operations staff, and commercial leaders


• Foster a high\-performance culture obsessed with cadet outcomes and commercial impact

• Partner closely with the Tetra Foundation on cadet sponsorship, outreach, and impact


• Engage with industry bodies, flag states, and regulators across the jurisdictions where SeaLearn operates


• Represent SeaLearn at industry forums and to shipping principals globally

• Take personal accountability for cadet progression, qualification, and placement onto vessels


• Build the SeaLearn brand as the destination of choice for ambitious young seafarers


• Identify and launch new training programmes and geographies as the business scales

• Senior leadership experience in maritime training, ship management, or a related operational shipping business


• Proven commercial track record — ideally with P\&L ownership in a high\-growth or PE\-backed environment


• Deep knowledge of STCW, IMO, and the international maritime regulatory landscape


• Credibility with shipping principals — owners, managers, and charterers


• Comfort operating in emerging markets, particularly West Africa


• Founder\-operator mindset: ready to build from the ground up

• Direct experience launching or scaling a maritime training academy


• Existing network across tanker, bulker, and container operators


• Background bridging commercial shipping and education

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