Guy Platten

Chairman of Mission to Seafarers and Co-Chair at Crew Connect Global

Speaker

In May 2026, Guy Platten was appointed Chair of the Mission to Seafarers, an international charity that provides practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers and their families through ship visits, seafarers’ centres, emergency welfare services in ports around the world, and online support. He was recently awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to the maritime sector and is also a holder of the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service.

Until recently, Guy was Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, a role he held from 2018 until stepping down at the end of June 2025. At the International Chamber of Shipping, Guy helped to guide the global industry through several challenges including COVID, Net Zero negotiations, trade, safety, geopolitical tensions, and security issues. In addition to his role with the Mission to Seafarers, Guy provides advisory services to maritime organisations and is a non-executive director at several companies.

Guy has extensive maritime experience, both at sea and ashore, and is a qualified Master Mariner. He has held a number of senior leadership roles, including Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, Chief Executive of Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), which provides ferries and ports for lifeline services to Scotland’s islands and remote communities, and Director of Marine Operations for the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Guy began his seagoing career in 1982 with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service. In 1993, he joined the RNLI as an Inspector of Lifeboats and later served as Inspector for Scotland, training, and overseeing lifeboat crews around the coast. He went on to serve with the MOD as a Salvage Officer, leading and contributing to several complex projects, including the removal of oil from a sunken Second World War battleship, the recovery of ditched aircraft and the refloating of a grounded warship.