10 March 2006
David Cobb CBE, LLD, CEng FIMarEST, FRINA has been appointed the 104 th President of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) taking over the presidency of the Institute from Maurice Storey at the Institute’s AGM today (10 March). He will serve the IMarEST in this capacity for one year. His first task as President will be his speech before nearly 800 members and their guests, and delegates at the World Maritime Technology Conference (WMTC 2006) at the combined WMTC 2006 Conference Dinner and IMarEST Annual Dinner this evening at which the Rt. Hon. Alderman David Brewer, Lord Mayor of the City of London is the principal guest and speaker.
“Our new President has had a long and distinguished career in the marine industry and will certainly keep a firm hand on the tiller,” explains Keith Read CBE, chief executive of IMarEST. “During just the course of the past ten years he has been Executive Chairman of James Fisher & Sons, President of the Chamber of Shipping and Chairman of Maritime London. He is a council member of the Ship wrecked Mariners' Society, a Trustee of the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation and Chairman of the Trustees of the Maritime London Cadet Scholarship. What’s more, he took office as Sheriff of the City of London in September 2004 and held the post for one year. As one of the two Sheriffs elected annual to this ancient office, amongst other things he and his wife, Audrey, resided at the Old Bailey and participated in the smooth running of the Central Criminal Court. We are all looking forward to a highly stimulating year working with him.”
'I am proud and delighted to have been elected President of this prestigous Institution which I joined almost 40 years ago and look forward to continuing the good work carried out by my predecessors and the executive team at our Coleman Street headquarters,' says David Cobb.
“I wish David great joy in his year of office – mine has just flown by,” says Maurice Storey, the retiring President. “I have been extremely lucky that my year in office has culminated in the staging of WMTC 2006 – what a year, what an event! It is fitting that I should hand over to David during the course of WMTC week, as it embodies so much of what the Institute stands for.”
Dr David Wynford Williams (Wyn) has been appointed President Elect of IMarEST. He is Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and UK National Hydrographer. The UKHO produces a global series of charts and publications for merchant marine and military use, which has captured 70% of the world’s market share. Dr Williams is also Chief Executive of Admiralty Holdings Ltd (a government-owned company which he created as the commercial outlet for the UKHO), and Chairman of Admiralty Coastal Surveys AB, a joint venture company he created with Swedish and Norwegian partners, and is soon to take up Chairmanship of a German maritime software company.
David Cobb was born in Scotland in 1936. He was apprenticed to the Design Office of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company on the Clyde, who sent him to the Royal Technical College (now Strathclyde University ) where he studied Naval Architecture. In 1959 he moved to Saint Johns, New Brunswick , to become a ship construction and repair manager. In 1964 he returned to Yorkshire to become Managing Director of the Shipbuilder Cochanes Selby. Having been invited in 1969 to become a Vice President of the Ingram Corporation of New Orleans, a privately owned US company which specialised in oil refining, oil and gas pipelining, oil trading, ship owning, ship building and marine insurance, he became President in 1984 and operated the company from London.
After leading the break-up and sale of Ingrams he joined James Fisher & Sons plc as Executive Chairman in 1994. A 150-year old quoted shipping company based at Barrow-in-Furness, Fishers leads the industry in carrying clean petroleum products around North West Europe, and manages the specialised spent fuel ships for British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Under his Chairmanship, the firm acquired P&O Tank ships, ordered new tankers from Vickers in Barrow - the first merchant ships built there for 25 years, built four tankers in China and diversified into the fibre-optic cable laying business with the purchase, conversion, and charter of three cable-layers. He retired from Fishers in January 2002.
David Cobb was appointed CBE in 1999, having served as President of the Chamber of Shipping and in recognition of his services to shipbuilding and ship owning in the United Kingdom. He has recently retired as Chairman of Maritime London - a body formed to promote the maritime interests of the City . He is a council member of the Ship wrecked Mariners' Society, a Trustee of the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation and Chairman of the Trustees of the Maritime London Cadet Scholarship.
David Cobb took office as Sheriff of the City of London in September 2004 and held the post for one year. As one of the two Sheriffs elected annually into this ancient office, he shared responsibility for the smooth running of the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey in the City of London. His duties also included presiding at the annual election of the Lord Mayor and in supporting the Lord Mayor directly on many visits and official functions throughout his year of office, both in the UK and overseas.
David Cobb is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology and of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary LLD of Strathclyde University. He was a Chairman of his local Magistrates Bench for 10 years.
He served as Prime Warden of the Shipwrights' Company in April 2002 and is also a Liveryman of the Painter-Stainers' Company, a Freeman of the Watermen and Lightermen's Company; a Craftsman of the Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow and a Younger Brother of Trinity House.
David Cobb is a keen golfer, playing off a single figure handicap. He is a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, of Sunningdale and of Sotogrande, as well as being a member of the City Livery Club, The Guild of Freemen and the Caledonian Club. He is married to Audrey, and they have three children.
Dr David Wynford Williams (Wyn) was born in Ammanford, Wales, in 1946. Following education at the Amman Valley Grammar School he gained a BSc and PhD in Physics at the University of Wales, Swansea. He is a Fellow of The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, The Institute of Physics and of The Royal Aeronautical Society.
He commenced his career in the Ministry of Defence in 1971 at the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment, near Portsmouth. His research work included infra-red and electro-optic countermeasures and electronic warfare systems. In 1981, he joined the Royal Navy staff at the British Embassy in Washington DC to be responsible for scientific exchanges between the UK and the USA in all areas of Above Water Warfare. He then became the Assistant Chief of Staff (Operational Analysis) to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet at Northwood to manage the analysis of all the RN’s operations and exercises. In 1987, he took over management of the UK’s guided Weapon Test Ranges, headquartered at Aberporth on Cardigan Bay.
On promotion to the Senior Civil Service in 1991, he became Chief Superintendent of the Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment at Boscombe Down, responsible for testing all UK military aircraft and airborne systems. He was appointed Director of Assessment & Evaluation in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), covering aircraft and air systems at Boscombe Down and gas turbine engines at Pyestock.
In 1996 he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, and in 1997 joined DERA Sea Systems Sector (covering all research in the RN) – as Operations Director then Technical Director, then on promotion as Sector Director. He was the UK’s Scientific Representative to NATO’s Undersea Research Centre at La Spezia, Italy and a member of the UK’s Foresight Marine Panel.
In January 2001 he was further promoted and appointed Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and UK National Hydrographer. The UKHO produces a global series of charts and publications for merchant marine and military use, which has captured 70% of the world’s market share. Dr Williams is also Chief Executive of Admiralty Holdings Ltd (a government-owned company which he created as the commercial outlet for the UKHO), and Chairman of Admiralty Coastal Surveys AB, a joint venture company he created with Swedish and Norwegian partners, and is soon to take up Chairmanship of a German maritime software company.
Wyn is married to Dilys, who is an Education Consultant. They have a son (Aled, a solicitor) and a daughter ( Sian, a doctor). His hobbies are golf, rugby and music.
His local community activities have included: governorship (including chairmanship) of several secondary school and Further Education colleges; membership of a Training & Enterprise Council steering committee; chairman of Portsmouth Choral Society, treasurer and membership of several Parochial Church Councils.
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