Brendan Cooley (Syndicate 82) grew up in a professional fishing family in Augusta, a small fishing town with a population of approximately 1,000, in the Margaret River wine region south of Perth, Western Australia.
His family home overlooked Flinders Bay - so he used to watch the fishing boats going in and out. Thus, his love for the maritime environment started at an early age.
Brendan’s father and uncle teamed up to build and operate a purpose-built shark fishing boat - the Southern Comfort. Brendan recalls: “it was this boat that I was addicted to... it kind of meant everything to me”. Those days were the genesis of a lifelong passion. The lure of the sea, the boat’s mechanisms, and the thrill of the chase converged to create an indelible mark on Brendan’s heart.
Brendan developed an ambition to become a naval architect. “From as early as I could remember as a child, I was drawing boats - sketching them, designing them, colouring them in - naval architecture seemed the only job for me”, he reflects. But with a taste for the open waters that had been his initial entrée into all things maritime, he became convinced of another trajectory. His ambition to be a naval architect dramatically changed when he began volunteering at Fremantle Sea Rescue and pursued a maritime service career.
He soon found himself working on Rottnest ferries, starting as a deckhand, progressing to 1st Mate, and then to Master at Rottnest Express (Boat Torque Cruises).
Brendan then moved onto working on Super Yachts around the globe, before eventually becoming Senior Master, then Chief Operating Officer and now Managing Director of IMS.
There are good reasons that maritime vessels are personified in our language - they often hold the power to connect with us in ways not dissimilar to our human relationships. The Southern Comfort may have been ‘just a fishing boat’, but for a young boy who can now reflect from the vantage of his forties, it’s been part of a legacy.
And so, the Southern Comfort, with his father at the helm, whet the appetite for a lifetime in the maritime industry that has culminated in Brendan’s current role at the helm of IMS, overseeing the movements of vessels across the globe.
What is now known as IMS was founded by Kim Cleggett, an entrepreneurial Master and now a good friend of Brendan’s; Kim started as a sole trader in 1985 and then set up the company in 2001. It was acquired by Redwise (a Dutch based maritime company) in 2018; with Brendan retaining shares in the company.
The services IMS performs include Ship Delivery; Technical Management; Crew Management; Crew Training; Sea Trials and Commissioning; and Ships Agency and Logistics. Since 1985 it has performed over 350 ship deliveries globally making it one of the most experienced organisations in this niche business.
IMS have won a number of recent awards including:
2015: Business News Rising Star Award
2019: Baird Maritime Best Ship Delivery Service Provider
2020: Baird Maritime Best Ship Delivery Service Provider
2023: Australian Commercial Marine Service Provider of the Year.
Brendan’s commercial seagoing career spans 18 years and includes several years as Master on super yachts and large high-speed craft. Brendan first worked alongside IMS’s founder in 1994 and started at IMS as a Senior Master in 2007. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2010 and Managing Director in 2017. Brendan is a 2015 ’40 under 40’ winner, holds an MBA in leadership from Curtin University in Perth, and a Diploma in Maritime operations and Master’s certification. Brendan is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and serves as a director on the Board of Breast Cancer W.A. With over a decade of experience across private sector and community organisations, he operates with a strong emphasis on advocacy, governance, and strategy, particularly within dynamic or challenging business environments.
The main challenge that Brendan / IMS have had to overcome is converting a project-based business into something that has a good base level of recurring long-term revenue.
Unlike with many businesses, COVID saw a huge uplift for IMS “because our UVP was much stronger, because we were able to move crew and vessels across the world through global networks”. Early this year, IMS had to carry out some redundancies due to the “normalisation” after a couple of strong years - it was very tough to go through that.
In relation to learnings gained over time, Brendan talks about life-long learning... you can’t stop learning - “If you think you know it, you don’t. Self-education and leadership is an ongoing pursuit of excellence. Never stop educating yourself about business, competitors, what other industries are doing etc”.
Brendan joined The CEO Institute in 2020... he describes his experience as “enlightening”. “Letting go of the armour and sharing the highs, lows and challenges of businesses”, forming trusting relationships with other Syndicate members, being held accountable for taking action, mentorship and friendship have been fantastic says Brendan.
Outside of work and his Volunteering activities such as a Director of Breast Cancer W. A. and Justice of the Peace, Brendan loves being outdoors - Running, Mountain Biking, Camping - considering it “Great time to reconnect with family and friends and myself”.
The CEO Institute, established over 30 years ago, helps business leaders like you connect with your peers to share skills, insight, and experience. The CEO Institute's leadership programs are available globally. Click here to read more member success stories.