Judges announced for new maritime awards
The judges for the first ever Maritime UK Awards have been revealed this week. Highly-respected experts from a variety of businesses and government departments involved in the sector will form the panel and decide who is worthy of being named best in the country in September.
Judging this year’s awards will be:
- Britt Pickering, Head of Legal and Claims, Shipowners P&I
- Carole Cran, Chief Financial Officer, Forth Ports
- Charlotte Kirk, Commercial Director, ITIC
- Gemma Griffin, Vice President HR & Crewing, DFDS
- Hannah Cash, Founder, YachtingLawyers
- Iain Lower, Head of Naval Staff, Royal Navy
- Iain Percy, CEO, Artemis Technologies
- James Ward, Managing Director, Marine Resources
- Kevin George, Chairman, Red Funnel Group
- Mike Cook, Managing Director, Thames Boat House
- Nicky Goldsborough, Director of Corporate Services, Shoreham Port
- Russell Gould, Chief Executive, Kelvin Hughes
- Sarah Kenny, Chief Executive, BMT
- Susanna May, Maritime Co-Director, Department for Transport
- Tom Strang, Senior Vice President, Maritime Affairs, Carnival Corporation & plc
Harry Theochari, Chair of Maritime UK, says: “We’re honoured to have such an esteemed panel of experts for our inaugural awards. What’s important about the Maritime UK Awards is they’re very much about representing the entire spectrum of maritime businesses, from consumer marine and cruising to advanced manufacturing and commercial shipping. Our panel is perfectly placed to assess entries across this most significant of national sectors.”
Stuart Baker is Head of Local Growth at the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, (which was responsible for bringing the awards to the Solent and organising the event) as well as Chairman of the Maritime UK Regional Cluster Council. He says: “We’ve really set the bar high with the judges for the inaugural event. Having seen first-hand some of the innovative work going on in the sector locally, and more widely throughout the UK’s great maritime clusters, we know they’ll have a tough job whittling down the superb entries into a shortlist.”
Judge Iain Lower, Head of Naval Staff at the Royal Navy, says: “There are many highly talented, committed people working within maritime that deserve recognition. The awards will raise the profile of our sector and reinforce its fundamental importance to the nation’s economy.”
Fellow judge Nicky Goldsborough, Director of Corporate Services at Shoreham Port, adds: “The Maritime UK Awards are an excellent opportunity for industry to come together, showcase achievements and celebrate all things maritime. The maritime sector can sometimes be overlooked, and these awards are another excellent way to promote all that maritime has to offer.”
The Maritime UK Awards (https://www.maritimeuk.org/awards-2020) will be the first truly national maritime awards in the UK, organised by industry, for the benefit of industry. The inaugural event will take place in Southampton on 19th September, following a successful drive from Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the first awards ceremony to be held in the Solent.
Entries are open now and close on 13th June. The shortlist is expected to be revealed in July, with the overall winners announced at the awards ceremony at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton in September.
To enter the awards, visit www.maritimeuk.org/awards (https://www.maritimeuk.org/awards-2020)
