24 entrepreneurs Gibbon Brooks has the sea in his veins
Graeme Gibbon Brooks started Dryad Maritime, a maritime operations company with a high-grade intelligence capability, in 2007 following medical discharge from the Royal Navy. It was during his time as a principal warfare officer that he identified a need by the commercial shipping market for more sophisticated maritime intelligence than they currently had access to. In his mind, the industry was lacking the equivalent to aviation’s air traffic control. The maritime landscape is fraught with risks – both environmental and criminal. Political instability also impacts heavily on the industry. Originally providing risk-based intelligence and support to shipping companies, Dryad Maritime expanded its offering this year with day-to-day operational ’intelligence’ – a natural extension of its 24-hour risk-monitoring capability – something clients were looking for to service their need for closer performance monitoring and management of fleets to tackle increased environmental legislation due in 2015
Gibbon Brooks’ family has strong Navy connections, something he admits was a big influence as a child and which fuelled his desire to join. His great grandfather served on submarines during WWI and his paternal grandfather, sunk twice during WWII, was a chief stoker. Gibbon Brooks joined the Sea Cadets at 11 as a pre-cursor to his naval career, which commenced in 1992 as a midshipman. Progressing through the ranks, he became a navigator at 21 before qualifying as a professional diver and then later as a specialist warfare officer. His happiest naval days were spent aboard HMS London, as a bridge watchkeeper and ship’s diving officer. Having qualified as a clearance diver (a kind of underwater bomb disposal officer) in 2000, he became the XO (second-in-command) on HMS Ledbury, a deployment that took him to Iraq in 2003. Having returned to qualify as a principal warfare officer (the conductor of the ships warfighting activities) in 2005, he returned to Iraq. This time, however, events took a turn for the worse and he was repatriated on medical grounds. Alongside his active duties, Gibbon Brooks had undertaken a study in asymmetric warfare – small vessels versus large vessels – a key feature in maritime piracy.
It was this
theoretical knowledge, extensive seagoing experience, fortuitous connections and his unexpected and disappointing departure from the Royal Navy that led him to start Dryad Maritime.
How does running a company compare with running a naval operation?
In the Navy you spend a lot of time on exercise where the risks and the implications are only theoretical whereas the amount of time you spend in live operations is quite small by comparison. When running a company you don’t have that luxury – you are live from the word go and therefore the risks and implications are apparent the whole time. You have a duty of care for your staff that you can’t ignore.
What help has your Navy training been and what help have you had along the way?
The Navy invests heavily in personnel as you would expect and I no doubt benefited from that. It’s an establishment that has worked for more than 200 years and its training helps you to create structure out of chaos. During my time I worked with many captains – they taught me how to
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think, assess risks, analyse facts and attain a high probability of success in a situation. These are all skills I can see have aided me in my commercial capacity. The Navy also teaches you leadership, decision-making and how to delegate, not abdicate, responsibilities. Start-up organisations suffer similar setbacks and I would argue we are no different, so being able to hold your nerve is a definitely a useful skill to possess. When I started the company I was mentored by personal friends and owners of a technology company who are advocates of ex-servicemen and they helped me develop a business plan for the concept. They funded me for six months and it was a genuine apprenticeship for business, support I am incredibly grateful for. We continue to have a form of mentoring through the appointment of a non-executive chairman, who helps guide us through unfamiliar territories as the company continues to grow and operate in new markets.
What is the most important thing you have learned in business?
When I first left the Navy and spoke to a friend who was running a successful business, his advice to me at the time was: “Cash is king and trust no-one.“ From my experience to date, I would argue that he is partly correct. Cash is king, but it embodies something bigger than simply your bank balance. It’s more about being able to believe what’s in front of you and not
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – NOVEMBER 2014
being blindsided by opportunities that look fantastic but yield nothing. You have to focus first on achieving sales rather than polishing the operational plan, the part you enjoy and are perhaps most comfortable with, if you are to
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