Ocean Business 2027

Cheryl Burgess, Chief Executive Officer of The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) has over three decades experience in the energy industry including oil & gas, offshore and onshore, renewables and utilities in addition to working for UK government as an energy sector specialist. The former Director General of the Pipeline Industries Guild, Cheryl’s extensive international expertise from her years with UK Trade & Investment (now Department for International Trade) and the Society of British Gas Industries align with the SUT’s international Branches and global interests. A strong advocate for organisations she has represented, Cheryl is also committed to engaging students, graduates and developing professionals in the industries and sectors the SUT represents.

Jordan graduated from the University of Southampton with a degree in Oceanography with Marine Biology 2010. His keen interest in emerging technology to support marine science and research led him to pursuing a career in business development representing companies such Planet Ocean Ltd and L3Harris, formerly ASV Global, to support defence, offshore energy and survey operations. Jordan is currently the Business Manager for the Solent Maritime Enterprise Zone focused on delivering growth and prosperity to the maritime industries located in the Solent region by working with internal and external stakeholders. Jordan will be presenting on some of the latest projects in the Solent region and his insights into joining the industry having attended Ocean Careers in 2013.

Alexander Phillips received MEng (first class honours) in Ship Science (2004) and PhD (2010) in marine hydrodynamics from the University of Southampton, UK. From 2010 to 2015 he was a post-doctoral researcher in the Marine Robotics Lab at the University of Southampton. In 2015 he joined the National Oceanography Centre, UK, as the Head of Marine Autonomous Systems Development. In 2018 he became Head of the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems Development Group where he is responsible for the development of a range of new robotic platforms for ocean science applications.

I am a mechanical engineer for Ocean Infinity, helping design the world’s largest fleet of uncrewed robotic ships. Since graduating, in 2020, from Imperial College London with a MEng in Mechanical Engineering, I’ve been learning on the job about marine robotics. My work is varied, some days I’m creating 3D CAD models on my PC and other days I’m hands on wire up subsea sensors.

Dr. Sarah Johnson is a leading reproductive endocrinologist with over 15 years of experience in fertility treatments. She specializes in IVF and fertility preservation.

Ole Søe-Pedersen is the VP & General Manager of the Teledyne Marine Europe. Ole has substantial senior management experience working within different industries, mostly within high-tech areas. Ole has worked in the marine industry for more than 10 years and his roles have included General Management, Business Development, Strategic Planning and Mergers and Acquisitions. Ole joined RESON A/S in 2011, which was acquired by Teledyne Technologies Inc in 2013. Ole has the responsibility for Teledyne Marine in Europe covering technology centers and factories in Denmark, UK, Germany and Netherlands, where Sonars, Cameras & Light, Navigation systems and Connectors are developed and manufactured. Ole Søe-Pedersen is a Danish citizen and is Msc in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Aarhus in Denmark.

In his role as Managing Director at CWind, part of the Global Marine Group, Nathanael brings extensive commercial, operational and customer relations experience. Formerly working within the sector at Prysmian and at Industrial Marine Hydraulics, Nathanael has built a reputable track record working globally and has a passion for bringing new disruptive technologies to market. He also sits on the RenewableUK Board, and has been instrumental in CWind’s development and creation of the World’s first Hybrid Surface Effect Ship, CWind Pioneer. Nathanael was educated at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London, graduating in Physics and going on to obtain a Masters in Mechanical Engineering.

Prof. Michael Chen researches advanced oxidation processes and membrane technologies. He has published over 100 papers on water quality and treatment.

Nick began his survey career as a hydrographic surveyor with Fugro in 2006 after graduating from Cardiff University. Nick has worked in a variety of positions within the survey industry carrying out roles such as offshore Party Chief and Operations Manager. Today, Nick is a Service Line Manager for Geophysics within Fugro’s European and African region.. He is responsible for a team of Geophysicists, Hydrographic surveyors and Engineers predominantly carrying out geophysical surveys in disciplines such as unexploded ordnance surveys, ultra-high resolution seismic, and hydrography. Primarily operating in the offshore renewables and cable infrastructure markets.

Tony graduated with a BASc in Computer Engineering from University of Waterloo in Canada in 2001 and from an MSc in Digital Wireless Communications from Leeds University in 2002. Since then he has had a varied career designing mechatronic systems for vehicles in Canada, and high end mobile phones in the UK. Since joining Aquatec in 2014, he has been involved in designing, building and commissioning a variety of subsea data acquisition and logging systems for applications ranging from ocean science to offshore oil and gas. This has been a hugely diverse and exciting experience including customer interaction, electronics, firmware and mechanical design, and commissioning trips to offshore platforms. Tony is currently Engineering and R&D Manager at Aquatec.

Emily Davis manages large-scale water projects in developing regions, focusing on community-based solutions and policy advocacy.

Lorna Wagner joined Maritime UK from an FE College in Eastleigh in Hampshire where she managed the support services for six years including being the Careers Leader. Eastleigh was the first Technical and Professional College in the County to achieve the coveted Quality in Careers Standard under her tenure. She is a qualified careers adviser and a passionate advocate for helping people reach their potential through successful and satisfying careers. As the Programme Manager (Careers and Outreach) she has responsibility for leading the careers activity of Maritime UK, working with employers and educators to promote the many exciting opportunities in the sector. She is the driving forward the programme of activity and supporting resources in a collaborative and coordinated way sharing best practice from around the regions. Lorna is based at Solent LEP in Portsmouth. Sixteen months into the role Lorna has developed the national careers programme and published the strategic plan. We have established a careers professionals’ network with over 380 members (nationwide) and an Industry Ambassadors network of over 120 maritime people, who have delivered maritime careers information to over 16,000 children! The programme is gaining momentum and support from the sector, and a good level of interest form educators with outreach work happening in primary, secondary, FE and Universities. This would not be possible without the active participation from Industry professionals, and her presentation will focus on the breadth of the sector, the different strands of the careers programme, as well as how maritime industry can get involved in the programme.

Daniel is responsible for coordinating and managing the technical, policy & content activities for the IMarEST membership. His role incorporates providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas, practices and opportunities to influence the development of policy and legislation at local, regional and global levels. He also oversees the IMarEST contribution to the work of a number of Intergovernmental Organisations, including the International Maritime Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. A former marine biologist, who graduated from the University of Southampton and helped out as an undergraduate at the first ever Ocean Business in 2007, he is passionate about supporting and enabling early career professionals and developing activities that address some of the key challenges facing marine and maritime science, engineering and technology.

Gordon Meadow is committed to the long-term development of Maritime Education and Training and the digital transformation of the maritime workforce’s transition to the connected mariner. He is Chair of the IMarEST’s Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) Special Interest Group, Co-Chair of the International Standards Working Group, MASSPeople, and Chair of the UK MASRWG, People Skills and Ethics Committee. Gordon is CEO and Founder at SeaBot, a leading agency for next generation learning products and services with a focus on the shift to automation.