Command, before
coaching.
Brendan O’Brien, went to sea in 1998 as a cadet onboard a cruise ship operating off Australia’s East Coast.
Maritime studies in Australia and the UK followed, then two decades across a wide range of vessels and flags — Ro-Ro PAX in the North Sea, a support vessel across Europe, the North Atlantic and Florida, an expedition vessel and on to large superyachts operating worldwide.
He took his first command in 2009, holding the position of Master until late 2022.
Managed a crew of 35, drawn from several nationalities, across a cruising itinerary that crossed oceans, not just coastlines and safe havens.
Held Power of Attorney (POA) for the purchase of a vessel with a build cost of €220 million.
Oversaw the vessel’s annual operational budget — drafting it, working it, defending it and answering for it.
Oversaw and signed for various projects. Including a six-month €15 million refit project with a shipyard, on behalf of the owning company (POA). From shipyard selection through to handover.
Kept the vessel compliant across four overlapping regulatory authorities simultaneously — Flag State, Port State, ILO, and Classification Society — any of which could detain the vessel.
He didn’t know how to help a crew member in crisis — it spotlighted a gap in his abilities. As a serving Captain this was something that he could not ignore. This is what took him back to study: mental health, coaching practice, and the mechanics of how people actually change, formally from 2019 onward. The interest in psychology and leadership had already been building since he made Chief Officer — this just gave it a greater purpose.
That curiosity runs wider than the classroom too — years spent reading into sociology and psychology on his own, not for credit, just because the questions kept pulling him in.
That path led to:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Executive Coaching — Henley Business School
- Leadership Studies — ITC-ILO
- EMCC EIA Practitioner — Accredited
- ICF Member
- EQ-i 2.0 & EQ 360 Accredited Assessor
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA UK), 2020
A lot of executive coaching and leadership development is taught, but rarely lived.
His was lived first.
He’s defended a budget he was personally liable for. He’s led a crew who didn’t share the same mother-tongue or culture and had to earn their trust regardless. He’s made calls where support was thousands of nautical miles away, relying on the onboard team and his personal judgement to make real-time decisions. All whilst living beside the people these decisions would affect.
If you’re navigating a transition of your own.
A bigger role, a bigger team, more at stake than there used to be — get in touch.
Start a conversation →Working internationally.