Deck Officer to Mintra

Jannis joined Mintra as an Account Manager in the maritime practice, one of the business’ fastest growing areas. He took his first sailing trip at nine months old and has remained passionate about seafaring ever since, allowing him to pass his training and exams as a nautical officer.

After completing his vocational training as a nautical officers’ assistant, during which he also spent 12 months on containerships, Jannis completed his university degree in Ship Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany. Shortly after, he joined the content team of the learning provider Safebridge, developing maritime training for officers onboard.

To further deepen his maritime knowledge, he combined his onshore position with offshore. Safebridge allowed him to sail as an officer on the containership Saxonia for a term and still return to his role with the company. An experience which forged a deep understanding of the challenges faced by seafarers and the maritime industry globally.

“It’s difficult to explain the sensation of working on a containership which is 300 metres long and 40 metres wide, with no other place to go to, other than your own cabin. Long and unsociable hours as well as isolation and poor connectivity can play havoc with your mind”.

“Although saying this, there is also a complete downtime from society which I enjoyed, especially as it made getting back in touch with everyone even more meaningful. I have not been able to experience such a peaceful state ever since”.

Following his return from his term as an Officer on Deck, Jannis relocated to Cyprus, where he moved to the role of a branch manager for the newly established but fast-growing Safebridge branch. After the company’s senior management relocated to Cyprus, he took on the core responsibilities within the content development and sales teams. When Safebridge was acquired by Mintra he jumped at the opportunity to join the team as a maritime Account Manager.

Making a difference with rewarding work

“My job is fulfilling in a multitude of ways. Working closely with shipping companies, I can relate to the challenges they face. There has not been a day of respite for the industry since 2020. The uncertainty and stresses occurred during the Covid-19 outbreak have grown threefold by the Ukraine crisis. We are in the midst of a large crewing crisis, as Ukraine has to date acted as the main supplier of seafarers in Europe”.

“I cannot solve a global crisis but I can work with the industry to bring to them solutions which make it easier to manage the immense workloads. A client recently told me that a Mintra solution saves three days of administrative work each month, a significant improvement. This is the feedback which propels me in my role”.

Why Mintra?

Jannis is an advocate for Mintra and the extensive support network of colleagues globally. He believes Mintra is ahead of the curve when it comes to workforce management.

“Any given week I would experience a colleague going out of their way to make time in their busy schedules to support me in finding a solution to a challenge I may be tackling”.

“Mintra is really paying attention to the needs of the workforce, especially when it comes to rolling out hybrid as well as flexible working schemes. I am a father of 8-month-old twins and especially when working with companies in different time zones all over the world, Mintra’s flexible working times and working from home policy, makes all the difference”.