HEIN SCHAAP
Technical Content Development & Training Consultancy
Location: Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Years of experience: since 2006
Area of expertise: shipboard training, maritime safety, lifesaving, navigation, cargo handling, pilotage, hardware & software integrations, and customer success.
He was born in a coastal town along the Dutch Coast and from a young age, he always felt connected with the sea, ships, and sailing, as a lot of men in his family were seamen, sailing on coasters and fishing boats. It was no surprise for him to get involved in the maritime world.
At Holland America Line he started his career and made his way up the ranks. He quickly found himself in the position of the officer who was usually implementing new hardware and software within the navigational team. This made him also responsible for upgrading all voyage plans to the newest standards in combination with the latest software.
As he was working on passenger vessels he also grew in communication skills and training skills. As these ships have a large crew that all need training, he learned how to instruct & train the crew in a constructive and fun way.
This did not change at all when he changed over to P&O Ferries. He continued developing himself making sure he trained his crew to the designated standards as well as maintaining all navigational hardware and software.
Looking for a new challenge Hein started training to become a pilot in the port of Rotterdam. This gave him the possibility to learn first-hand about all the different ways ships are being led. From cultural differences among the crew to differences within (safety) training. Unfortunately, during a ship/pilot tender transfer, he was involved in an industrial accident, resulting in being unable to complete the pilot training successfully.
After a short sabbatical, Hein decided to restart his career and go for something new in which he could make beneficial use of all his developed skills. He got in contact with Blue Orange Wave and was quickly hooked on the possibilities and options the company provides. He started as a Customer Success Manager which soon changed to Operational Director due to his wide diversity of responsibilities. Unfortunately due to the worldwide pandemic situation, Hein was asked to step down. He pursued a new career opportunity elsewhere but stayed connected with Blue Orange Wave as a freelance Content Development & Training Specialist.
PEPIJN PIJFERS
Business Development & Sales Nordics
Location: Førde, Norway
Years of experience: since 1987
Area of expertise: maritime safety, Royal Dutch Navy, submarines, entrepreneurship, sales, business development, polymer materials, engineering.
Pepijn was born in Amsterdam and later moved to Tiel, a picturesque area in the Betuwe known for its abundant fruit production. From a young age, he exhibited a strong entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in the field of technology. His passion for technology and water led him to join the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he ascended to the rank of petty officer. In this role, he was specialized in training new crew members on the then new Walrus class submarines. He also completed the MTS-W and MTS-E courses within the navy, followed by two years of HTS-E.
Following his naval career, Pepijn’s enthusiasm for technology inspired him to start his own plastics company specializing in injection molding. He successfully ran this business for 24 years, during which he trained numerous individuals and pursued further courses and studies. However, he observed that much valuable knowledge was often overlooked or inadequately addressed by training institutes.
Today, as Business Development & Sales Lead for the Nordics, Pepijn is enthusiastic about promoting Edumersive. He sees immense potential for the tool not only in the maritime industry but also in other sectors such as healthcare, education, and various branches of industry. Pepijn is driven by the challenge of bringing Edumersive to the attention of companies across diverse fields.
IAN MANTES
Business Development & Sales APAC
Location: Pasig City (Metro Manila), The Philippines
Years of experience: since 2009
Area of expertise: shipboard training, maritime safety, lifesaving, navigation, offshore oil & gas, hardware & software integrations, teaching profession
Metro Manila is where Ian was born and raised. He is the first sailor in a family that exists on both sides of Engineers and Teachers. Living in a developing country like the Philippines, it is difficult to pursue a career outside the expected ordinary, but with enthusiasm and strategic help, he made it happen to become a competent Officer in this great industry. Ian worked as a crew while being in college which finally provided him a scholarship from a shipping company. In 2009 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation, and started working shortly after in the offshore industry, ports and dry docks, oil & gas rigs, pipelaying -, anchor handling -, and supply vessels, as well as survey -, and towing tugs.
For almost 10 years he worked in different areas around the world. He gained experience through his time onboard, but also through the many training courses required in this particular industry. The training courses were not only conducted to satisfy the Maritime Authorities but also the Authorities in the offshore oil & gas industries i.e., OPITO. During his time at sea, he contacted Blue Orange Wave at the end of 2017, and he learned about the ideas, innovations, and focuses of the company, but it was too early to move over. It was Ian who stayed in contact.
However, at the start of the pandemic, Ian decided to end his seagoing career and he pursued a career ashore in Food and Catering, as well as he started a career teaching at a Secondary school, and as a Safety Instructor for Occupational Health and Safety courses. It was in September 2023 that he found out that Blue Orange Wave was planning to join the maritime event Crew Connect Global 2023 in Manila, the Philippines. This was the moment he offered his services to the team and supported them throughout the event. It was also his step into the company where he accepted his current position.
LEONIEL MENDIOLA
Customer Success & Talent Acquisition
Location: Cainta Rizal (Metro Manila), The Philippines
Years of experience: since 2017
Area of expertise: human resources, talent acquisition, customer relations, customer success, content development, hardware & software integrations
Niel was born and raised in Cainta, Rizal, the Philippines. He is the youngest of five children. He found his interest in performing arts as his father worked as a theater technician. Since childhood, he was always around people and found himself collaborating and engaging with them. It transcends the importance of communication and dealing with people. In high school, he was involved in extracurricular activities and was an organizational and student leader in college.
He was a graduate of the Business Administration program in Human Resource Development Management in 2017. Ever since he has been active in the field of recruitment and talent acquisition. Doing 360-degree recruitment, candidate management, talent onboarding, and customer relations. Especially with talent acquisition, he learned the importance of growing a talented workforce is based on the use of resourceful learning methods and embracing the power of innovations. This is what got him when pursuing his next step with Blue Orange Wave where he looks forward to learning and engaging (new) customers in their development and growth with the solutions offered.
Particularly the maritime industry is a new journey for Niel to sail, but he looks forward to learning every day from, and about customers in this, for the Philippines, important talent market!
RENCEL RECTO
Team & Culture
Location: Dasmarinas City (Metro Manila), The Philippines
Years of experience: since 2000
Area of expertise: maritime safety, team & culture development, coaching, training, customer success, sales, content development, instructional design.
Rencel was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, into a family of lawyers and medical doctors. Raised in a close-knit environment, she drew inspiration from her father, whose dedication to hard work, wisdom, and compassion for the less fortunate deeply influenced her upbringing.
She pursued a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management at St. Paul University of Manila, an educational institution in the Philippines established and run by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in France. Her passion for engaging with people from diverse backgrounds drove her decision to pursue this course. After graduation, she embarked on a career in hospitality, holding positions in Sales & Marketing and Front Office at renowned hotels in the Philippines. Despite these opportunities, she sought broader horizons and applied for a shipboard job to experience global settings.
In 2000, her career trajectory shifted significantly when she joined Holland America Line as a Guest Services Associate. Through dedication and skill, she rose to become a Guest Services Manager, overseeing the Front Office Team and supporting the Hotel General Manager on guest satisfaction matters. Central to her role was a commitment to training her multicultural team, believing deeply in the human element as crucial to organizational success.
The pandemic-induced pause in the cruise industry provided Rencel with an opportunity to impart her two decades of knowledge by teaching hospitality students at the Lyceum of the Philippines University. Simultaneously, she engaged with maritime organizations like maritime talent partners, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, and Global Crew Connect, advocating for seafarers’ mental wellness during these challenging times.
Upon the industry’s resumption, Rencel joined Holland America Line’s offshore team, focusing on streamlining the crew onboarding process from the Philippines and Indonesia and at the same time, leading the design and implementation of training programs for newly-hired Guest Services team members across Asia underscored her growing interest in land-based roles, particularly in Learning and Development with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
With over two decades in the maritime sector, Rencel now looks forward to bringing her expertise to Blue Orange Wave. Her ambitions include fostering team and cultural development, ensuring customer success, and driving content development and instructional design initiatives.
GHOFAR ISMAIL
Marketing & Communications
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia & Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Years of experience: since 2014
Area of expertise:
Digital Marketing, Social Media, Paid Media, Brand Management, Campaign Strategy, Event Management, E-commerce
Ghofar Ismail, originally from a small village in Central Java, Indonesia, has built a notable career in digital marketing. Growing up in Jakarta, he embraced the digital transformation early on. He pursued his education at the University of Indonesia, the country’s leading institution, and began his journey in digital marketing with part-time roles in social media content creation starting in 2014.
Ghofar’s career took off at a multinational advertising agency, where he developed his skills in managing social media channels for various businesses. His role covered strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the digital marketing cycle.He later moved to a client-side role in a pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare company as Digital Media and E-Commerce Manager.
Currently, Ghofar is enhancing his expertise through a media program at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Although maritime industry is new for him, with a proven track record of successful campaigns, Ghofar is dedicated to driving innovation and excellence as a Marketing and Communications Lead in Blue Orange Wave.
JUDE DIGAO
Content Development & Instructional Design
Location: Taguig City (Metro Manila), The Philippines
Years of experience: since 2019
Area of expertise: learning & development, instructional design, creative content development, user experience/user interface, organizational development, product optimization, iso, KPI management.
Born in Taguig City (Metro Manila), in the Philippines, Jude is a dedicated Learning Professional with a profound passion for teaching. His inclination towards sharing knowledge with his peers since childhood led him to merge his fondness for technology with a degree in Behavioural Science. Throughout his career, he has been committed to enhancing Online Learning accessibility by transforming intricate training sessions into digestible modules and converting traditional face-to-face learning into self-paced materials, ensuring that education remains forward-thinking and inclusive.
As an alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas, he completed his studies in 2019. As a student, he served as a proctor and later transitioned to a teaching role at the esteemed Enderun Colleges post-graduation. Commencing his professional journey as a Human Resource Professional, he transitioned his focus to learning and development in 2021 and gained experience in multinational companies. Looking ahead, he aspires to leverage his skills and knowledge to spearhead Maritime Training into the future, aiming to position the products of Blue Orange Wave as a trailblazer in Maritime E-learning and Training.
CLAIRE SEÑGA
Content Development & Marketing
Location: Marikina City (Metro Manila), The Philippines
Years of experience: since 2023
Area of expertise: digital content development, instructional design, social media management, learning management systems, educational technology, eLearning, needs analysis.
Claire was born and raised in Metro Manila, the Philippines. As a fresh graduate, she has just finished her study in Education. During this study, she underwent different learning modalities such as hybrid-blended and online learning to be knowledgeable in distance education both in practical experience and theoretical concepts. This allowed her to be interested in its innovative potential as the new form of learning that would be the future of our society.
Her interest in instructional design stemmed from her passion for educational research. Discovering different learning modalities, techniques, theories, and models that would help both learners and educators are her career goals. Her philosophy in life is that education is the foundation of every society, without education we cannot develop; therefore, education should be molded to accommodate all types of learners to collectively progress.
Despite being new to the industry, her reason for joining Blue Orange Wave is to share her fresh insights into the applications of maritime education in the continuous advancement of modern learning. Education is for all willing learners, no matter what their learning style is.
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