Our Story

To be completely honest, the story of ALL Academy did not actually begin in 1993, but that year is of significant importance for what happened later. So that is where our story begins.

It began at The Swedish Club

In October 1993, Martin Hernqvist, a newly graduated naval architect from Chalmers University of Technology, was offered a new position at the marine mutual insurer The Swedish Club in Gothenburg. The role was to lead the Club’s loss prevention activities.

During the job interview, conducted by the Club’s then Managing Director, Lars Lindfelt, Martin questioned – considering his young age – whether he was the right person for the job:

“I’m only 26, I’m too young and inexperienced for this position.”

Lars replied:

“I remember you from your internship with us last year. You turned over every stone and questioned a lot of what we did – that’s what I want you to do. Our conservative industry needs new ideas.”

With strong support from management, Martin accepted the challenge.

At the time, much of the maritime industry’s safety focus was on bulk carrier losses. Causes included structural deterioration from corrosion and fatigue, particularly in older vessels, as well as issues related to improper cargo loading. Many cases led to tragic losses of vessels, cargo, and lives. Understandably, this prompted major safety initiatives across the industry.

Yet a wider analysis of insurance claims revealed something deeper: most maritime accidents were caused not by technical failures, but by human and organisational factors – such as communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, leadership issues, or simple misunderstandings. These issues had received little attention within the sector up to that point.

Learning from aviation

Soon after joining The Swedish Club, Martin was invited to represent the Club in a collaborative project involving seven maritime organisations and SAS Flight Academy. The aim was to learn from aviation by adapting the airline industry’s Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) training into a programme aimed at maritime operations.

CRM focused on communication, teamwork, situational awareness, and decision-making – and The Swedish Club recognised the value such training could bring to its members. The resulting maritime version was named Bridge Resource Management (BRM), as the maritime equivalent of the cockpit is, of course, the bridge. This became the maritime industry’s first-ever Bridge Resource Management course – a milestone in maritime safety and training.

During the 1990s, BRM courses were delivered primarily to masters, bridge officers, and pilots, who provided very positive feedback about the new initiative. However, they consistently stated:

“But this course isn’t just for us – it’s for all.”

To reflect this broader relevance, Martin and his team at The Swedish Club decided to move ahead and renamed the learning programme Maritime Resource Management (MRM) in 2000. With this name change, all personnel on board the ship could meet in the same classroom, discuss safety issues of common interest, and break down barriers in communication between departments, ranks, and nationalities.

The formation of ALL Academy

The Swedish Club’s commitment to loss prevention and proactive safety work gained significant attention in the industry and became a defining feature of the Club. To strengthen and highlight these initiatives, The Swedish Club Academy AB was established in 2009.

However, many shipping companies interested in MRM were insured with other clubs with whom they had long-standing relationships. The solution was to establish a completely independent entity. Thus, in 2013, ALL Academy International AB was founded. The rights to the BRM/MRM training material, along with the responsibility for further development, were assumed by the new company.

The name ALL Academy was inspired by the recurring feedback from course participants:

“This course is for ALL.”

The launch of Global Resource Management (GRM)

In 2020, ALL Academy introduced, yet again, a new name for the concept: Global Resource Management (GRM). Martin, who still manages the operations of ALL Academy, notes:

“Had we known in the 1990s what we know today, we might have chosen that name from the very beginning – because Resource Management truly is for everyone, in every industry, all over the world.”

With the same energy, passion, and curiosity that sparked our journey in 1993, we continue to work towards safer, more efficient, and more attractive organisations worldwide.

We warmly welcome you to join us on this journey.