Crew Welfare Today: A Fireside Chat with ISWAN CEO Simon Grainge
10 -10:45 GMT
Overview
Crew welfare is increasingly recognised as a strategic priority across shipping, shaped by growing pressure around retention, wellbeing, and the everyday realities facing seafarers at sea.
In this fireside conversation, Simon Grainge shares his perspective on how crew needs are evolving, where shipping companies still face challenges, and why practical support matters more than ever in today’s operating environment.
The discussion also explores how financial wellbeing, access to funds, and trusted payment infrastructure can play an important role in improving the crew experience, while helping operators strengthen trust and support across their fleets.
Speakers:
Maria Collie
Head of Sales, MarTrust
Maria is a seasoned maritime professional with extensive experience in crew payments and operational workflows. In her role at Marcura, she works closely with shipowners and managers to streamline crew payroll processes, improve payment reliability, and reduce administrative burden across fleets. Maria brings a practical, customer-focused perspective on how shipping companies can modernise crew payments while ensuring speed, security and consistency worldwide.
Simon Grainge
Chief Executive of the International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN)
Simon Grainge is the Chief Executive of the International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN) – a not-for-profit seafarer welfare organisation based in the UK, India and the Philippines best known for its SeafarerHelp 24/7, multilingual helpline for seafarers and their families. Simon is responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of ISWAN’s services to seafarers. Simon’s career began in 1981 in the UK police service where he embarked on a 20 year career including operational policing, criminal investigation, firearms, training and secondments to the UK Home Office. Simon left the service in 2001 as a Sergeant to begin a subsequent career in the NGO sector. Working initially in the UK leading organisations delivering services to homeless people, he went on to work in international development in Nepal and Pakistan leading projects and services to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Returning to the UK in 2009, he managed a successful social enterprise before then heading up a national federation of homelessness NGOs. Simon joined ISWAN in 2021 and has been working to reinvigorate the organisation with a new strategy, improvements in service delivery and raising its profile with maritime stakeholders. Simon has held numerous board positions within national and international NGOs.
