Maritime executives, in the eyes of the seafaring public, are typically those who are secluded their flashy office with an assistant who takes care of their calls, appointments, and meetings. They could be reserved, stately, and prim.
There are those, however, who would go out of their way to interact with their staff and crew; shore-based executives who, outside of their jobs, are simply relatable to an ordinary seafarer.
Case in point is Capt. Gilbert Garcia, general manager and director of Senator Crewing Manila.
Behind the distinguished, scholarly looks is a person who was just like many other Filipino seafarers whose career history started off as a childhood dream of traveling the world for free.
“I pictured myself as a young and dashing ship captain exploring the world and meeting foreign people. The thought of traveling the world for free left me daydreaming for hours,” Garcia recalled of his teenage years.
Garcia came from a family of seafarers. As with many of his cousins who were graduates of the prestigious Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), the young boy entered the Academy and began a journey that would later take him across the world and back to his country, armed with the experience and expertise of a maritime professional.
As an international master mariner and a maritime superintendent for five years in Singapore, Garcia had so much to bring to the table when he joined Senator Crewing Manila.
Being the company’s general manager and director, he was tasked to handle business development and strategic operations.
“I develop and implement strategies to continuously meet customer requirements and ensure adequate response to the evolving market situation of the local manning industry. I also initiate and oversee traditional and digital marketing campaigns to attract new customers and qualified applicant seafarers. I am recently very much involved on conceptualizing brand strategies to safeguard the good image and reputation of the manning agency, Senator Crewing Manila.
“I lead the manning agency in the development of reliable crew deployment schedules, career planning, manpower retention program and targeted crew recruitment activities aimed to improve the overall business performance while defining the crew qualification standards in accordance with customer requirements as well as regulatory requirements,” he explained.
His duties as the head of one of the most reputed manning agencies in Manila may seem daunting but it never took away the seafarer in him. Garcia, up to the present, still enjoys interacting with his crew.
“It has been 10 years since I took the big leap into the wonderful world of crewing and there has never been a dull moment. I enjoy the interaction with our seafarers who have mostly become successful professionals at sea and while taking care of their families ashore,” he said.
Outside of work, Garcia is known to be an athletic person who actively participates in local and international triathlons. The latest he joined in was the famous Challenge Roth 2019 in Bavaria, Germany where he was one of five Filipinos who competed against the world’s best.
“Since the pandemic, I have a less action-packed past time so I spend my leisure hours reading biographies of modern business leaders and try to pick-up ideas that I can apply at work. I also attend self-improvement webinars about best management practices,” he said.
Among the lessons he has learned is that, while digital education has made things more convenient, it can never replace soft skills such as team work, resilience, and leadership that can only be learned through experience.
“Like many captains before me, I came to adjust and understand what it takes to have a successful career as a Filipino seafarer. First is leadership is by example. You must be compassionate to understand the weaknesses of others and expect challenges that will temper your spirit. Second is being quick to recognize and seize opportunities, yet always remember that patience is a virtue. Opportunities may come along but you must acquire the abilities to equal those opportunities. Last, be humble in the faces of success. Learn where others have failed and smile back at the face of adversity, have a sense of community to work as a team,” he concluded.
