Organisation

CEO

Iain Grainger has over 30 years experience in offshore marine construction around the world. He spent the early part of his career engineering and managing the installation of major offshore infrastructure before moving into commercial and strategy roles with tier one contractors.

Iain is a chartered engineer and has an MBA. He is a past president of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and was previously supporting IMCA in expanding its position in offshore renewables.

On 1 June 2023, Iain became the new CEO of IMCA.

Jim has around 30 years’ experience in the marine contracting industry as an engineer, project manager, and project director and HSEQ director.

This included working internationally on projects in the UK, South Korea, Canada, Azerbaijan, and Angola.

He joined the Brown & Root graduate engineer development scheme in 1990, advancing through the organisation and working on onshore and offshore projects. In 2006, Jim joined Subsea 7 in their London office as part of the core team establishing a new engineering and project management centre.

In the subsequent 10-year period he focused on large projects offshore in West Africa. Latterly he spent six years as HSEQ Director for the Global Projects Centre, and in early 2022 he set up his own consultancy business.

Director of Strategy and Energy Transition

Head of People Experience

Lou has more than 15 years senior HR experience. She started her career as an HR generalist and then moved into delivering HR change programmes, continuous improvement, improving employee engagement, and most recently in developing positive work cultures. Working both in-house and as an independent consultant, Lou has an in-depth understanding of people and culture, both operationally and strategically, at small to medium sized businesses and across multiple sectors including in financial services and retail.

She is CIPD qualified, holds a Six Sigma Black Belt, and is an experienced people coach.

Lou joined IMCA in May 2024 in a part-time capacity.

Head of IT

Adam leads IMCA’s IT Services team and is responsible for the support, integration and continuous improvement of our IT platforms including the secretariat network, Microsoft cloud services, websites and the eCMID vessel inspection system.

He has driven a cloud-first approach for IMCA, has led projects covering information security and data protection, and uses a hands-on approach to implement, integrate and extend multiple digital platforms, enabling IMCA to better serve its members and the wider industry.

Adam previously worked for IMCA from 1998 to 2010, mainly as Support Services Manager. After freelancing in development and content production, he rejoined IMCA in 2016.

Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs

Margaret is a qualified maritime lawyer and chemical scientist who holds Chartered status with the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem) and Chartered status with the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH).

Margaret has over 20 years’ experience in shipping. She previously worked for the IMO Secretariat, leading on the development of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and related regulations on the carriage of hazardous chemicals and noxious and polluting substances, including the HNS Convention.

Her experience also includes working for a member of the International Association of Classification Societies as a senior safety and environmental specialist, and as an expert adviser on several high-profile maritime incidents.

Office Manager

Sandra has extensive and direct experience of the offshore sector and our Members’ work having previously worked at Subsea 7, Acergy, Stolt Offshore and Seaway Technology in London and Aberdeen. In these roles, she managed office facilities, supervised a large pool of personal assistants and support teams, and was an Executive Assistant to a number of senior leadership teams. She also has direct experience in the Learning and Development area of HR.

Communications & Marketing Manager

Romina is a Communications Campaigns Specialist with over 20 years’ experience in full mix marketing, design and implementing complex communication strategies. She has worked for several high-profile organisations in the UK and overseas, across a number of different industries in the private and public sectors, ranging from Banking to Local Government. Her time in Local Authority gave her the opportunity to work on projects with local councillors to promote policies on sustainability, waste reduction and recycling to over two million north London residents. She is adept at project management, event promotion and branding for large corporations.

She started her career as marketing assistant in broadcast television and worked her way up to Marketing Manager. She joined IMCA in July 2023 as a Communications and Marketing Specialist.

Diving Manager

Bill Chilton joined IMCA in November 2021 as Technical Adviser – Diving and became Diving Manager in January 2024.

He has 25 years of experience in the commercial diving industry. Prior to joining IMCA Bill worked at the UK Health & Safety Executive for 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry. During his time at the HSE, Bill also worked as a decommissioning specialist when he was seconded for a period to a team specialising in decommissioning.

Prior to his time at the HSE, Bill worked as an air and saturation diver on a wide range of diving projects.  During this period, he also held a variety of topside positions, including project engineer and project manager.

Bill holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography; an MSc in Marine Resource Management; and an MSc in Decommissioning.

Finance Manager

Jill joined us in July 2015 as our Accounts Co-ordinator. Jill has a strong all round bookkeeping background which helps her support IMCA in all things accounting.

Jill has experience as a bookkeeper for a security firm and doing the accounts for a local tennis club.

Health, Safety and Security Manager

Adrian has over 30 years’ experience in the field of Health, Safety, Security, Environmental and Compliance and previously worked as the Global Head of Safety and Compliance Director for a multinational company.

He has worked in the Offshore & Onshore Oil & Gas, Marine, Seismic, Construction as well as Freight Forwarding and Logistics Industries globally.

He is a Chartered Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner with IOSH in the UK and holds a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Health and Safety as well as an NVQ 4 and NEBOSH certifications and is also a certified Anti-Bribery and Corruption Specialist.

Adrian joined IMCA in Sept 2024 where he oversees the Health, Safety and Security activities.

Marine & Quality Manager

Mark joined the IMCA secretariat in February 2012 from Charles Taylor Consulting, where he worked as a senior surveyor and divisional director in the safety and loss prevention department. His work involved carrying out ship condition surveys prior to and during entry into P&I insurance cover, writing various technical and safety articles for the safety and loss department publications.

Mark worked for over 25 years as a marine engineer on bulk carriers and diving support vessels, ultimately sailing to the rank of chief engineer. He has worked as an engineer superintendent for a product tanker company which involved dry dockings, general repairs and the daily running of the fleet and also as a consultant marine engineer, specialising in FMEAs and retro-fit specifications.

Mark leads IMCA’s Marine Technical Division and our integrated quality management system with ISO Certification in both 27001 and 9001.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Jennifer has a strong background in Marine and Dynamic Positioning having worked with a range of prominent organisations in this space including, ABL, Nordic Maritime Solutions, Keelson, JEEV Dynamic Solutions, and DNV, which came after a ten-year career in the Merchant Navy in the UK.

Jennifer joined IMCA in May 2024

Consultant – Marine

Andy has a wealth of experience on a range of dynamically positioned (DP) vessels. He holds Nautical Institute DP certificate number 127 in a world where the certificate numbers are now well past 23,000, so he is well placed to advise on the association’s  DP and Marine Division work load. Andy is supporting our eCMID activities.

Andy’s career began with Texaco Overseas Tankship at 16. He completed a four year cadetship, qualifying as a Third Mate, and during his ten years with the company obtained a class 2 Chief Mate certificate.

Andy spent 17 years on various DP vessels both monohull and semisubmersible (including Semi 1, Semi 2 and Regalia) as a travelling senior DPO. He also captained Rockwater 1 and 2 and the Smit Pioneer working offshore in Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada. Six years ashore in the operations department of Smit International followed; he also worked with Maritime Progress, producers of marine industry training posters, manuals and safety signage.

Consultant – Safety and Security

Nick supports the work of the IMCA Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) Committee. He holds a NEBOSH General Certificate in occupational safety and health, and is responsible for all IMCA Safety Flashes and safety statistics, and for supporting the development of safety promotional material and guidance.

Before joining IMCA in January 2005, Nick had a career as a chief observer or senior survey engineer in offshore seismic survey. Nick has a degree in Physics and Geology and a HNC in Electronics, and started work with Seismograph Service Ltd (SSL) in 1988, continuing to work offshore all over the world with Geco-Prakla and WesternGeco until 2004.

Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy

Rhys Jones joined IMCA in June 2022 as Technical Adviser for Marine Renewable Energy.

Rhys worked for RenewableUK for 12 years as Head of Technical Affairs with a strong focus on offshore wind, health, safety and wellbeing, and regulatory compliance. Rhys has developed various industry good practice guidance documents for these areas and run many industry committees associated with this.

Prior to joining RenewableUK Rhys worked for Petrofac Training Services as Staff Training Manager Survival & Marine which also brings the added benefit to IMCA of a strong competence and training background.

Technical Assistant – Diving

Kester Keighley joined IMCA as Technical Assistant – Diving in November 2017, having previously undertaken similar work for the association. He is particularly involved in the review of diving contractor membership applications, as part of our focus upon improving members’ services.

Holding an Honours Degree in Nautical Studies and an MA in Maritime Archaeology, Kester is an experienced saturation diver having worked in the Middle East, the North Sea, West Africa & India. Most recently he has been working as a diving supervisor overseeing wet-bell operations on a large archaeological diving project in the southern sector.

Assistant Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability

Technical Adviser – Diving

Ali joined IMCA in February 2019 from The Underwater Centre in Fort William, UK where he was the Diver Training Manager.

Ali is a qualified Air and Closed Bell Diver, a Dive Supervisor and highly experienced Diver Medic, having gained extensive experience for over 20 years treating divers both inside and outside the chamber. During his career Ali has assisted the Health & Safety Executive and other authorities in investigating diving accidents and has also been called as an expert witness due to his specialist knowledge of diving techniques and diving medicine.

Experienced in training, assessment and verification as well as dive project planning and risk assessment, Ali’s initial remit on joining IMCA was to ensure that IMCA Training Providers around the world continue to deliver quality training to the offshore diving industry. In September 2019 Ali’s remit was expanded to cover a wider range of diving related activities.

Ali has a passion and a reputation in the diving industry for delivering high quality training to members of the dive team.

Technical Adviser – Remote Systems and ROV, Offshore Survey

Roger Joined IMCA in July 2023 having spent the last 27 years working in the ROV Industry around the globe, most recently for the James Fisher Group. Over his career he has held positions offshore from Trainee Pilot Technician to OPM, and onshore as a ROV operations Manager & Technical Authority.

Prior to this, Roger served in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, which gave him a foundation in all manner of mechanical and electrical equipment. Roger has written several training programmes, and has hosted internships as a STEM Ambassador.

Roger looks forward to working with the committees and workgroups on the ROV and Survey disciplines.

Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability

Mary began her career in the oil and gas industry developing, implementing, and managing environmental management programmes on sites across the globe for projects in Angola, Egypt, Turkey, the Middle East and the UK.

Most recently she has been involved in the development and application of net zero sustainability strategies and the application ESG frameworks on major projects in the UK.

Mary is a chartered environmentalist with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, a Master of Science degree in Pollution and Environmental Control from the University of Manchester, and most recently a certification in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Richard joined IMCA in June 2021 having gained 25 years of experience in the DP related industry.

Richard started his career as a cadet engineer with P&O Containers where he stayed until obtaining his Class 2 Engineering certificate. He then moved into the offshore industry first on seismic survey, followed by pipelayers and then onto DSVs during which time he gained his Class 1 Chief Engineers Certificate.

Richard worked for a number of years at Trinity House Lighthouse Authority and was involved in their new build programme.

Richard came ashore to work for an Aberdeen based DP Consultancy, PML, which was acquired by Noble Denton and then DNV. He spent 13 years as a DP Practitioner producing FMEAs on all types of Dynamically Positioned vessels as well as incident investigations and FMEA analysis on mission critical equipment, specialising in closed bus FMEAs utilising advanced generator protection systems and hybrid battery systems.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Dave has a 34-year background in Diving, having worked as an offshore air and saturation diver, project engineer, offshore inspection engineer and workshop manager for companies including Oceanteam, Aquanos, and UTEC in the North Sea, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe. 

His most recent role was with the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) where he’s worked since 2008 as a Diving Specialist Inspector, regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry.  

Technical Document Assurance Co-ordinator

As a Technical Writer, John has worked continuously in the marine oil and gas sector since 2011, when he joined the team revising BP Shipping’s fleet operating management system, with new documentation being approved by the Plain English Campaign before issue.

He then worked as Technical Writer on numerous offshore energy projects for operators (BP, TotalEnergies), contractors (Wood Group, Aker Solutions) and suppliers (Birkdale Energy, CMIST).

He is currently studying for the Nebosh National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.

John supports the delivery of IMCA’s Technical Library and works with the team of Technical Advisers to ensure greater consistency across our technical documents.

Communications & Marketing Assistant

Mathew Hawley joined IMCA in August 2021 as Marketing & Communications Assistant.

Matthew joined us straight from university after completing a Master of Arts in Media, Culture and Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Culture and Identity. Matthew gained practical experience through internships and work placements in Business, Operations & Marketing and during his studies he put his social media, podcast and video editing skills to good use.

Matthew received an “Outstanding Dissertation” prize on completion of his Masters.

IT Support & Infrastructure

Ade works to monitor, maintain and improve our core systems, with a particular focus on the Microsoft cloud, cybersecurity and infrastructure.

Ade joined IMCA in 2019 with an advanced support background and, for several years, was the first point of call for internal, member and external support. Project work includes updating our collaboration and communication tools, including Teams and SharePoint modernisation, and automation of business processes within Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.

Membership Services Specialist

Chelsea leads the Membership Services Group, overseeing the team’s activities in membership, publications and certification. She is the main point of contact for all membership related enquiries and leads the membership application and renewal process, manages our database of contacts and the committee election process.

Chelsea joined IMCA straight from university in 2015 having graduated in America Studies.

Membership Services

Part of IMCA’s Membership Services Group, Kayleigh has been responsible for co-ordinating the sales of IMCA’s publications since 2014. Kayleigh’s duties include invoicing, distribution and liaison with printers, as well as dealing with the range of world-wide enquiries which IMCA receives. Kayleigh joined IMCA in June 2012 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator. She assisted the team with various administrative tasks, in particular with publications sales, as well as being the first point of contact on the telephone and for our visitors.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an administrator and receptionist for a college.

Membership Services

Kayleigh’s main focus within the Membership Services Group, is dealing with document administration and a range of activities within the membership, accreditation and certification departments.

Kayleigh joined IMCA in March 2011 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator before moving into our accounts department then in 2015 she joined the membership team focusing on membership administration then on to accreditation and certification.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an audio typist/receptionist for a law costs draftsman.

Director for Client Engagement – Europe & Africa

As director for client engagement, David supports the Association in developing and expanding its engagement with oil companies and the broader industry.

David joined the offshore industry in 1975 with Oceaneering, and during a 20 year career held various roles, including General Manager of the Southern North Sea and West African business units, before spending three years at McDermott Subsea as Business Development Manager in the North Sea and West Africa. In 1998 he joined Brown & Root as UK Business Development Manager, and in the years that followed played a crucial part in a number of significant business integrations and acquisitions leading up to the merger of Acergy and Subsea 7 in 2011.

In 2016 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Subsea UK annual awards.

Director for Client Engagement – North America

Bruce joined the IMCA secretariat in June 2018. He knows IMCA well having been a past Vice-Chairman of the Association’s North America regional committee.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore construction industry. Bruce joined Heerema Marine Contractors in 1985 and held a wide range of executive roles in developing the company’s successful market presence in North America.

Bruce was also a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the influential National Ocean Industries Association in Washington DC.

Business Development – Middle East & India

Chris Rodricks is IMCA’s representative in the Middle East and India. Chris was Chairman of our Middle East & India Region for six years until his retirement as CEO of SEAMEC in 2017. A Master Mariner by professional background, he has a long and distinguished career in operational and management roles with leading industry names such as India Steamship, Essar Shipping, GAL Offshore, Seabulk Offshore, and SEAMEC.

Master Mariner

Dustin Varnell joined IMCA in July 2022 and has 20 years of experience in offshore energy and marine operations.   He spent over fifteen years offshore as a ship’s officer working internationally on large-scale projects in Asia, GOM, and Brazil. Dustin is a Master Mariner, an experienced Dynamic Positioning operator, and holds many industry credentials and certifications. His shipyard and vessel construction experience include projects in Japan, Singapore, and various locations in the United States.

Dustin also has construction and operational planning experience in the developing U.S. offshore renewable energy industry. He is passionate about the development of offshore renewables and the implementation of marine technology to improve safety.

Director of Client Engagement – Asia-Pacific

Jason joined IMCA in March 2022 and has over 30 years of multi-discipline work experience in the Oil & Gas and Civil/Marine Infrastructure sectors obtained both internationally (UK and India) as well as in Southeast Asia.

He has worked for engineering consultants, leading EPC contractors and offshore service providers. In the last 25 years, his focus on the South East Asia market has enabled him to develop a unique niche of bridging gaps and positioning international companies in this region.

Jason works well in multicultural dimensions and has built an extensive network of relationships with key stakeholders and business professionals in the region. Prior to joining IMCA, Jason was Area Manager at Boskalis Offshore, responsible for the business development of their suite of offshore services including the decommissioning of offshore assets in the region.

Director for Client Engagement – South America

Paulo has a long career in offshore energy having held a variety of roles at Member companies TechnipFMC and most recently, McDermott. His career to date has seen him work across South America, as well as in roles in Paris, France and Houston, USA.

CEO

Iain Grainger has over 30 years experience in offshore marine construction around the world. He spent the early part of his career engineering and managing the installation of major offshore infrastructure before moving into commercial and strategy roles with tier one contractors.

Iain is a chartered engineer and has an MBA. He is a past president of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and was previously supporting IMCA in expanding its position in offshore renewables.

On 1 June 2023, Iain became the new CEO of IMCA.

Director for Client Engagement – Europe & Africa

As director for client engagement, David supports the Association in developing and expanding its engagement with oil companies and the broader industry.

David joined the offshore industry in 1975 with Oceaneering, and during a 20 year career held various roles, including General Manager of the Southern North Sea and West African business units, before spending three years at McDermott Subsea as Business Development Manager in the North Sea and West Africa. In 1998 he joined Brown & Root as UK Business Development Manager, and in the years that followed played a crucial part in a number of significant business integrations and acquisitions leading up to the merger of Acergy and Subsea 7 in 2011.

In 2016 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Subsea UK annual awards.

Director for Client Engagement – North America

Bruce joined the IMCA secretariat in June 2018. He knows IMCA well having been a past Vice-Chairman of the Association’s North America regional committee.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore construction industry. Bruce joined Heerema Marine Contractors in 1985 and held a wide range of executive roles in developing the company’s successful market presence in North America.

Bruce was also a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the influential National Ocean Industries Association in Washington DC.

Business Development – Middle East & India

Chris Rodricks is IMCA’s representative in the Middle East and India. Chris was Chairman of our Middle East & India Region for six years until his retirement as CEO of SEAMEC in 2017. A Master Mariner by professional background, he has a long and distinguished career in operational and management roles with leading industry names such as India Steamship, Essar Shipping, GAL Offshore, Seabulk Offshore, and SEAMEC.

Master Mariner

Dustin Varnell joined IMCA in July 2022 and has 20 years of experience in offshore energy and marine operations.   He spent over fifteen years offshore as a ship’s officer working internationally on large-scale projects in Asia, GOM, and Brazil. Dustin is a Master Mariner, an experienced Dynamic Positioning operator, and holds many industry credentials and certifications. His shipyard and vessel construction experience include projects in Japan, Singapore, and various locations in the United States.

Dustin also has construction and operational planning experience in the developing U.S. offshore renewable energy industry. He is passionate about the development of offshore renewables and the implementation of marine technology to improve safety.

Director of Client Engagement – Asia-Pacific

Jason joined IMCA in March 2022 and has over 30 years of multi-discipline work experience in the Oil & Gas and Civil/Marine Infrastructure sectors obtained both internationally (UK and India) as well as in Southeast Asia.

He has worked for engineering consultants, leading EPC contractors and offshore service providers. In the last 25 years, his focus on the South East Asia market has enabled him to develop a unique niche of bridging gaps and positioning international companies in this region.

Jason works well in multicultural dimensions and has built an extensive network of relationships with key stakeholders and business professionals in the region. Prior to joining IMCA, Jason was Area Manager at Boskalis Offshore, responsible for the business development of their suite of offshore services including the decommissioning of offshore assets in the region.

Director for Client Engagement – South America

Paulo has a long career in offshore energy having held a variety of roles at Member companies TechnipFMC and most recently, McDermott. His career to date has seen him work across South America, as well as in roles in Paris, France and Houston, USA.

Jim has around 30 years’ experience in the marine contracting industry as an engineer, project manager, and project director and HSEQ director.

This included working internationally on projects in the UK, South Korea, Canada, Azerbaijan, and Angola.

He joined the Brown & Root graduate engineer development scheme in 1990, advancing through the organisation and working on onshore and offshore projects. In 2006, Jim joined Subsea 7 in their London office as part of the core team establishing a new engineering and project management centre.

In the subsequent 10-year period he focused on large projects offshore in West Africa. Latterly he spent six years as HSEQ Director for the Global Projects Centre, and in early 2022 he set up his own consultancy business.

Director of Strategy and Energy Transition

Diving Manager

Bill Chilton joined IMCA in November 2021 as Technical Adviser – Diving and became Diving Manager in January 2024.

He has 25 years of experience in the commercial diving industry. Prior to joining IMCA Bill worked at the UK Health & Safety Executive for 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry. During his time at the HSE, Bill also worked as a decommissioning specialist when he was seconded for a period to a team specialising in decommissioning.

Prior to his time at the HSE, Bill worked as an air and saturation diver on a wide range of diving projects.  During this period, he also held a variety of topside positions, including project engineer and project manager.

Bill holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography; an MSc in Marine Resource Management; and an MSc in Decommissioning.

Health, Safety and Security Manager

Adrian has over 30 years’ experience in the field of Health, Safety, Security, Environmental and Compliance and previously worked as the Global Head of Safety and Compliance Director for a multinational company.

He has worked in the Offshore & Onshore Oil & Gas, Marine, Seismic, Construction as well as Freight Forwarding and Logistics Industries globally.

He is a Chartered Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner with IOSH in the UK and holds a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Health and Safety as well as an NVQ 4 and NEBOSH certifications and is also a certified Anti-Bribery and Corruption Specialist.

Adrian joined IMCA in Sept 2024 where he oversees the Health, Safety and Security activities.

Marine & Quality Manager

Mark joined the IMCA secretariat in February 2012 from Charles Taylor Consulting, where he worked as a senior surveyor and divisional director in the safety and loss prevention department. His work involved carrying out ship condition surveys prior to and during entry into P&I insurance cover, writing various technical and safety articles for the safety and loss department publications.

Mark worked for over 25 years as a marine engineer on bulk carriers and diving support vessels, ultimately sailing to the rank of chief engineer. He has worked as an engineer superintendent for a product tanker company which involved dry dockings, general repairs and the daily running of the fleet and also as a consultant marine engineer, specialising in FMEAs and retro-fit specifications.

Mark leads IMCA’s Marine Technical Division and our integrated quality management system with ISO Certification in both 27001 and 9001.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Jennifer has a strong background in Marine and Dynamic Positioning having worked with a range of prominent organisations in this space including, ABL, Nordic Maritime Solutions, Keelson, JEEV Dynamic Solutions, and DNV, which came after a ten-year career in the Merchant Navy in the UK.

Jennifer joined IMCA in May 2024

Consultant – Marine

Andy has a wealth of experience on a range of dynamically positioned (DP) vessels. He holds Nautical Institute DP certificate number 127 in a world where the certificate numbers are now well past 23,000, so he is well placed to advise on the association’s  DP and Marine Division work load. Andy is supporting our eCMID activities.

Andy’s career began with Texaco Overseas Tankship at 16. He completed a four year cadetship, qualifying as a Third Mate, and during his ten years with the company obtained a class 2 Chief Mate certificate.

Andy spent 17 years on various DP vessels both monohull and semisubmersible (including Semi 1, Semi 2 and Regalia) as a travelling senior DPO. He also captained Rockwater 1 and 2 and the Smit Pioneer working offshore in Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada. Six years ashore in the operations department of Smit International followed; he also worked with Maritime Progress, producers of marine industry training posters, manuals and safety signage.

Assistant Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability

Consultant – Safety and Security

Nick supports the work of the IMCA Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) Committee. He holds a NEBOSH General Certificate in occupational safety and health, and is responsible for all IMCA Safety Flashes and safety statistics, and for supporting the development of safety promotional material and guidance.

Before joining IMCA in January 2005, Nick had a career as a chief observer or senior survey engineer in offshore seismic survey. Nick has a degree in Physics and Geology and a HNC in Electronics, and started work with Seismograph Service Ltd (SSL) in 1988, continuing to work offshore all over the world with Geco-Prakla and WesternGeco until 2004.

Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy

Rhys Jones joined IMCA in June 2022 as Technical Adviser for Marine Renewable Energy.

Rhys worked for RenewableUK for 12 years as Head of Technical Affairs with a strong focus on offshore wind, health, safety and wellbeing, and regulatory compliance. Rhys has developed various industry good practice guidance documents for these areas and run many industry committees associated with this.

Prior to joining RenewableUK Rhys worked for Petrofac Training Services as Staff Training Manager Survival & Marine which also brings the added benefit to IMCA of a strong competence and training background.

Technical Assistant – Diving

Kester Keighley joined IMCA as Technical Assistant – Diving in November 2017, having previously undertaken similar work for the association. He is particularly involved in the review of diving contractor membership applications, as part of our focus upon improving members’ services.

Holding an Honours Degree in Nautical Studies and an MA in Maritime Archaeology, Kester is an experienced saturation diver having worked in the Middle East, the North Sea, West Africa & India. Most recently he has been working as a diving supervisor overseeing wet-bell operations on a large archaeological diving project in the southern sector.

Technical Document Assurance Co-ordinator

As a Technical Writer, John has worked continuously in the marine oil and gas sector since 2011, when he joined the team revising BP Shipping’s fleet operating management system, with new documentation being approved by the Plain English Campaign before issue.

He then worked as Technical Writer on numerous offshore energy projects for operators (BP, TotalEnergies), contractors (Wood Group, Aker Solutions) and suppliers (Birkdale Energy, CMIST).

He is currently studying for the Nebosh National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.

John supports the delivery of IMCA’s Technical Library and works with the team of Technical Advisers to ensure greater consistency across our technical documents.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Ali joined IMCA in February 2019 from The Underwater Centre in Fort William, UK where he was the Diver Training Manager.

Ali is a qualified Air and Closed Bell Diver, a Dive Supervisor and highly experienced Diver Medic, having gained extensive experience for over 20 years treating divers both inside and outside the chamber. During his career Ali has assisted the Health & Safety Executive and other authorities in investigating diving accidents and has also been called as an expert witness due to his specialist knowledge of diving techniques and diving medicine.

Experienced in training, assessment and verification as well as dive project planning and risk assessment, Ali’s initial remit on joining IMCA was to ensure that IMCA Training Providers around the world continue to deliver quality training to the offshore diving industry. In September 2019 Ali’s remit was expanded to cover a wider range of diving related activities.

Ali has a passion and a reputation in the diving industry for delivering high quality training to members of the dive team.

Technical Adviser – Remote Systems and ROV, Offshore Survey

Roger Joined IMCA in July 2023 having spent the last 27 years working in the ROV Industry around the globe, most recently for the James Fisher Group. Over his career he has held positions offshore from Trainee Pilot Technician to OPM, and onshore as a ROV operations Manager & Technical Authority.

Prior to this, Roger served in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, which gave him a foundation in all manner of mechanical and electrical equipment. Roger has written several training programmes, and has hosted internships as a STEM Ambassador.

Roger looks forward to working with the committees and workgroups on the ROV and Survey disciplines.

Technical Adviser – Environmental Sustainability

Mary began her career in the oil and gas industry developing, implementing, and managing environmental management programmes on sites across the globe for projects in Angola, Egypt, Turkey, the Middle East and the UK.

Most recently she has been involved in the development and application of net zero sustainability strategies and the application ESG frameworks on major projects in the UK.

Mary is a chartered environmentalist with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, a Master of Science degree in Pollution and Environmental Control from the University of Manchester, and most recently a certification in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Richard joined IMCA in June 2021 having gained 25 years of experience in the DP related industry.

Richard started his career as a cadet engineer with P&O Containers where he stayed until obtaining his Class 2 Engineering certificate. He then moved into the offshore industry first on seismic survey, followed by pipelayers and then onto DSVs during which time he gained his Class 1 Chief Engineers Certificate.

Richard worked for a number of years at Trinity House Lighthouse Authority and was involved in their new build programme.

Richard came ashore to work for an Aberdeen based DP Consultancy, PML, which was acquired by Noble Denton and then DNV. He spent 13 years as a DP Practitioner producing FMEAs on all types of Dynamically Positioned vessels as well as incident investigations and FMEA analysis on mission critical equipment, specialising in closed bus FMEAs utilising advanced generator protection systems and hybrid battery systems.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Dave has a 34-year background in Diving, having worked as an offshore air and saturation diver, project engineer, offshore inspection engineer and workshop manager for companies including Oceanteam, Aquanos, and UTEC in the North Sea, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe. 

His most recent role was with the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) where he’s worked since 2008 as a Diving Specialist Inspector, regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry.  

Communications & Marketing Manager

Romina is a Communications Campaigns Specialist with over 20 years’ experience in full mix marketing, design and implementing complex communication strategies. She has worked for several high-profile organisations in the UK and overseas, across a number of different industries in the private and public sectors, ranging from Banking to Local Government. Her time in Local Authority gave her the opportunity to work on projects with local councillors to promote policies on sustainability, waste reduction and recycling to over two million north London residents. She is adept at project management, event promotion and branding for large corporations.

She started her career as marketing assistant in broadcast television and worked her way up to Marketing Manager. She joined IMCA in July 2023 as a Communications and Marketing Specialist.

Communications & Marketing Assistant

Mathew Hawley joined IMCA in August 2021 as Marketing & Communications Assistant.

Matthew joined us straight from university after completing a Master of Arts in Media, Culture and Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Culture and Identity. Matthew gained practical experience through internships and work placements in Business, Operations & Marketing and during his studies he put his social media, podcast and video editing skills to good use.

Matthew received an “Outstanding Dissertation” prize on completion of his Masters.

Membership Services Specialist

Chelsea leads the Membership Services Group, overseeing the team’s activities in membership, publications and certification. She is the main point of contact for all membership related enquiries and leads the membership application and renewal process, manages our database of contacts and the committee election process.

Chelsea joined IMCA straight from university in 2015 having graduated in America Studies.

Membership Services

Part of IMCA’s Membership Services Group, Kayleigh has been responsible for co-ordinating the sales of IMCA’s publications since 2014. Kayleigh’s duties include invoicing, distribution and liaison with printers, as well as dealing with the range of world-wide enquiries which IMCA receives. Kayleigh joined IMCA in June 2012 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator. She assisted the team with various administrative tasks, in particular with publications sales, as well as being the first point of contact on the telephone and for our visitors.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an administrator and receptionist for a college.

Membership Services

Kayleigh’s main focus within the Membership Services Group, is dealing with document administration and a range of activities within the membership, accreditation and certification departments.

Kayleigh joined IMCA in March 2011 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator before moving into our accounts department then in 2015 she joined the membership team focusing on membership administration then on to accreditation and certification.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an audio typist/receptionist for a law costs draftsman.

Finance Manager

Jill joined us in July 2015 as our Accounts Co-ordinator. Jill has a strong all round bookkeeping background which helps her support IMCA in all things accounting.

Jill has experience as a bookkeeper for a security firm and doing the accounts for a local tennis club.

Head of IT

Adam leads IMCA’s IT Services team and is responsible for the support, integration and continuous improvement of our IT platforms including the secretariat network, Microsoft cloud services, websites and the eCMID vessel inspection system.

He has driven a cloud-first approach for IMCA, has led projects covering information security and data protection, and uses a hands-on approach to implement, integrate and extend multiple digital platforms, enabling IMCA to better serve its members and the wider industry.

Adam previously worked for IMCA from 1998 to 2010, mainly as Support Services Manager. After freelancing in development and content production, he rejoined IMCA in 2016.

IT Support & Infrastructure

Ade works to monitor, maintain and improve our core systems, with a particular focus on the Microsoft cloud, cybersecurity and infrastructure.

Ade joined IMCA in 2019 with an advanced support background and, for several years, was the first point of call for internal, member and external support. Project work includes updating our collaboration and communication tools, including Teams and SharePoint modernisation, and automation of business processes within Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.

Office Manager

Sandra has extensive and direct experience of the offshore sector and our Members’ work having previously worked at Subsea 7, Acergy, Stolt Offshore and Seaway Technology in London and Aberdeen. In these roles, she managed office facilities, supervised a large pool of personal assistants and support teams, and was an Executive Assistant to a number of senior leadership teams. She also has direct experience in the Learning and Development area of HR.

Head of People Experience

Lou has more than 15 years senior HR experience. She started her career as an HR generalist and then moved into delivering HR change programmes, continuous improvement, improving employee engagement, and most recently in developing positive work cultures. Working both in-house and as an independent consultant, Lou has an in-depth understanding of people and culture, both operationally and strategically, at small to medium sized businesses and across multiple sectors including in financial services and retail.

She is CIPD qualified, holds a Six Sigma Black Belt, and is an experienced people coach.

Lou joined IMCA in May 2024 in a part-time capacity.