About us
The Superyacht Leadership Academy (SLA) was formed by Martin Mainey and Paul Bridge with a mission to highlight the importance of strong leadership in this thriving industry and provide the vehicle to deliver it.
Martin Mainey
Martin is a self-motivated, fun loving and enthusiastic leadership trainer and coach with a passion for raising aspirations and unleashing potential. Martin has a strong track record for developing people and organisations, creating healthy workplace cultures and improving performance.
Martin has 25 years of successful leadership experience in the education, luxury hospitality, recruitment, sport and the beauty sector. Martin has been delivering leadership training and coaching captains and senior leaders in the superyacht industry for the past 6 years, having 3 years onboard experience, both interior and deck.
Martin is an experienced Ofsted Inspector and has provided consultancy support to many organisations across the education sector including schools, colleges, private training providers and the English Premier League.
Martin has significant experience in the commercial sector successfully leading growth in high-profile beauty and recruitment companies.
Martin has a strong qualification background and is a qualified NLP practitioner, a licenced trainer in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and trained in the Enneagram.
Martin is a committed family man and Evertonian who enjoys exercise, sport and loves his festivals.
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BSc Hons Chemistry, PGCE, PgDip Exercise and Nutrition Science, PGDip Leadership, PGDip Education Management
​Paul is driven by an appetite to cultivate the next generation of leaders with the skills and confidence to navigate the complexities of this unique sector.
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Paul's journey into leadership began in 2008 with his tenure as a company director for 13 years in the dynamic landscape of audio communications. With a fervent commitment to excellence, he led a talented team, bringing voices to life in up to 50 languages within the world of internal comms and marketing.
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A dedicated Practitioner in Executive Coaching, Paul holds an AoEC Diploma accredited by the AC, EMCC, and ICF. He drew on his leadership expertise jointly developing the online delivery of the GUEST-accredited YORP course (Yacht Owner’s Representative Program), a trailblazing initiative within the superyacht industry. Paul thrives on empowering yacht crew, whether through one-on-one coaching or inspiring group dynamics, nurturing leadership potential at every turn.
In 2024 Paul embarked on a journey through Europe and to the US delivering leadership workshops within the superyacht industry, including the prestigious Benetti Yacht Master.
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Beyond his professional pursuits, Paul is a WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Certified Educator, enthusiastically sharing his love of wine with superyacht crew through engaging training sessions and professional qualifications. His personal passion for wine tourism drives him to explore vineyards and wineries around the globe, savoring the rich cultures and stories behind each bottle.