Engine as a Weapon

Commander Richard Hudson

Chair,

No bio provided

Sarah Kenny OBE

Chief Executive, BMT

Sarah Kenny is the Chief Executive for BMT; a leading international scientific and engineering technical services business, with deep specialism in maritime.  A marine environmental scientist by background, Sarah has worked in maritime science and technology businesses throughout her career. 

Sarah has just finished her tenure as Chair of Maritime UK, she is a board member of Maritime London, and a Trustee Director of the National Oceanography Centre.  She is also a member of the UK Defence Innovation Advisory Panel, and the National Shipbuilding Office SEG group. 

Sarah is proud to be an Honorary Captain of the Royal Navy, an Honorary member of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, and a Younger Brother of Trinity House.

Sarah was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list, for services to the Maritime Industry and Diversity.  

Amanda Harris

Lead Systems Engineer, Babcock

Amanda Harris is the Lead Systems Engineer within Babcock’s Future Programmes team. With a background in systems design within the aerospace industry, Amanda joined Babcock in May 2015, and has experience in through life support of complex warships and digital innovation. Amanda is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology and holds an Undergraduate Master of Physics (MPhys) degree from the University of Bath

Cleo Thatcher

Supportability Engineer, Babcock

Cleopatra Thatcher is a Supportability Engineer within Babcock’s Future Programmes team, with experience in developing in-service support solutions and delivering ILS artefacts for the Royal Navy and Future Customers. Cleopatra joined Babcock in September 2017 as a Higher-Level Apprentice, where she completed a FdSc in Mechanical Engineering, she also has a Maths degree from the University of Plymouth and is working towards Chartered Engineer Status with the IET.

David Barton

Sales Manager – Coast Guard & Navy, ABB Marine

15 years of experience within the Marine & Port industries with a degree in Maritime Business & Management.

Having started out working for Babcock International Group, he has developed his career through a variety of sectors including Naval & Commercial Marine,  Oil and Gas Support and Port development.

Now at ABB Marine, David is responsible for Coast Guard & Navy sector system sales and is focused on sustainable ships and the capability advantages they bring.  Key interests on future trends of electric propulsion, DC distribution and alternative energy sources.

Marc Reijtenbagh

RH Marine

Marc Reijtenbagh is an engineer within RH Marine's Cyber Systems team responsible for the development of the Integrated Virtualized Systems Architecture and Common Services.

Prior to joining RH Marine in 2021, Marc developed a background in the cyber security and development of OT-systems within the civil engineering domain. Where he first encountered the "stovepipe systems" he challenges today

John Buckingham

Chief Mechanical Engineer, BMT

John Buckingham is the Chief Mechanical Engineer at BMT. A Fellow of the IMechE, he has over 39 years’ experience in marine engineering systems design.  He has designed and analysed hybrid power and propulsion systems for naval and commercial vessels and is currently involved with the modelling and analysis of marine energy saving technologies, and how they can improve energy efficiency indices.  He has been the technical lead for a wide range of technology studies and concept development work, specifically on studies relating to energy saving technologies and heat management systems.  He is currently looking at how absorption chiller plant can benefit the efficiency of ships’ air conditioning systems.

Andy Tate

Senior Principle Marine Systems Engineer, Dstl

No bio provided

Jasper Vollbrandt

Researcher, Delft University of Technology

Jasper Vollbrandt is currently working on his PhD thesis at the department of Maritime and Transport Technology at the Delft University of Technology and the Netherlands Defence Academy of the Dutch Ministry of Defence. His research focuses on dynamic performance of marine internal combustion engines running on natural gas and methanol. After receiving a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology he worked at the Dutch Ministry of Defence, Command Material and IT, gaining experience in the design and simulation of naval propulsion systems. Before returning to the Delft University of Technology, he fulfilled the role of project engineer hydraulics at Netherlands largest steel mill TATA Steel and was mainly involved in the revamp of the cold mill plant.

Jake Rigby

Global Head of Innovation and Research, BMT

Jake Rigby is the Global Head of Innovation and Research at BMT, responsible for the portfolio management of internal research projects. He is a chartered engineer and Member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects originally training as a Naval Architect specialising in ship signatures before his current role in Research and Development. Jake is also responsible for Academic Engagement at BMT. In recognition of his work to progress Academic Engagement in the maritime sector he was recently awarded the title of Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Exeter.

Professor Jacqueline Christmas

Associate Professor of Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, University of Exeter

Prof. Jacq Christmas is an Associate Professor of Computer Science (AI and machine learning) at the University of Exeter.  She is part of Dstl’s Defence Data Research Centre (DDRC), which is a collaboration between Exeter and the universities of Surrey and Liverpool, and a member of Exeter’s Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.  Her research is predominantly aimed at the defence and security sectors, helping the Royal Navy to make launch & recovery operations safer under a wider operating envelope, and the Metropolitan Police to identify criminals more quickly and cost effectively.  She spent many years working in industry before returning to academia to complete a PhD in 2011, and is now the Director of Business Engagement & Innovation for the Computer Science department.

Emily Pence

US Naval Engineer,  US Navy

Emily G. Pence is an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, focused on advancing operational energy research and development initiatives.  In her current role, Ms. Pence supports the Navy’s Director of Innovation, Technology Requirements, and Test & Evaluation as a Resource Sponsor for Operational Energy efforts.  Previously, Ms. Pence was Senior Consultant at Herren Associates in Washington, D.C. where she worked with government teams to identify and mature energy technologies for shipboard application. Ms. Pence holds a Bachelor of Science in Material Science and Engineering with a minor in Green Engineering from The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Program Management from Naval Postgraduate School.

Henry Jones

Senior Consultant/Lead Model-Based Systems Engineer, Herren Associates

Henry Jones graduated from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Mechanical Systems and Design.  He began his career as a valve engineer specializing on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and moved onto roles as a marine engineer designing auxiliary systems and as direct support to Navy Ship Design Managers. Currently, he is the Lead Model-Based Systems Engineer at Herren Associates where he interfaces extensively with power and energy systems supporting the Navy's Operational Energy office and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

Peter Richardson

Chief Engineer (Transformation and Growth) , Babcock International Group (UK Marine Engineering)

Peter Richardson MEng, CEng IMEchE

Peter Richardson is the Babcock International Chief Engineer for Growth and Transformation within the Marine-Support division. After receiving a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Glasgow his career has spanned the aerospace, subsea and marine sectors to provide technical support and capability enhancements for in-service assets. Within Babcock International he has held the role of Class Lead Engineer for the Sandown class for 5 years providing governance and assurance over engineering output at the waterfront. His current role is to provide leadership for embedding digital innovation within existing contracts and growth opportunities.

Richard Chance

Engineering Manager(Future Programmes) , Babcock International Group (UK Marine Engineering)

Richard Chance CEng CMgr MIET MCMI MAPM

Richard Chance is a Babcock Engineering Manager for Future Programmes within the Marine-Support division.  Richard has spent most of a 40-year career in Maritime Defence, starting life as a Weapons Engineer within MOD(Navy), moving through the Underwater Weapons Acquisition teams within MOD, undertaking research and exploitation within QinetiQ (and its MOD predecessor) before joining Babcock in 2015 and becoming Systems Engineering Manager for the Type 23 Frigate LIFEX programme.  His current role utilises this wide experience to develop support solutions for the new and often unique needs of Babcock’s future customers.

 

Tom Flint

Senior Engineering Consultant, BMT

Tom is an Obsolescence Consultant working with MOD programmes developing the plans and practices for managing obsolescence. A former Weapon Engineer in the Royal Navy, serving primarily on Type 23 Frigates all over the world. His experience is predominantly with systems engineering and enjoys building his understanding of military systems and their integration. Out of work he lives on the south coast of the UK and spends his spare time dinghy sailing and cycling.

Commander Richard Hudson

Chair,

No bio provided

Commander Richard Hudson

Chair,

No bio provided

Matt Howard

Shipbuild Technical Director, Babcock International Group

Shipbuilding Technical Director responsible for the Babcock’s international and UK ship build programmes, including Type 31 and Arrowhead 140 which has been selected for both the Indonesia and Poland (Miecznik) programmes. His previous roles include the Type 31 Frigate Chief Engineer, 2017 to April 2022, which included Design Authority responsibility for the platform and gun systems. His tenure as Type 31 Chief Engineer included the Competitive, Basic, Functional and Detailed Design phases.

Dr Eshan Rajabally

Maritime Autonomy Technology Lead, BMT

Eshan Rajabally is the Maritime Autonomy Technology Lead at BMT. Here he acts as authority on autonomy enabling technologies, identifying and seeding related BMT consultancy and other service offerings. Eshan is a chartered engineer with over twenty years of experience in research and innovation, technology development, and demonstrator prototyping.

Ian Savage

Chief Engineer for Transversals and Technical Assurance , BMT

Ian Savage is the Chief Engineer for Transversals and Technical Assurance at BMT. He provides leadership in whole ship design areas including Survivability, Fire Protection, Materials, Standardisation and Technical Assurance of design. He has over twenty years of experience in Naval Engineering in both Surface and Sub-surface craft and specialises in Naval Recoverability.

Simon Bartlett

Head of the Fire Section, UK MOD

Simon Bartlett is the Head of the Fire Section at the UK Ministry of Defence, Naval Authority and technology Group.  He is responsible for fire certification of all ‘MoD Shipping’ and is actively looking at new and emerging technology in naval firefighting, damage control and recoverability. Simon has experience working as an engineering officer in the Royal Navy and was in charge of the MoD’s Naval Fire Trials and Evaluation Unit. After leaving the RN, he worked for the Fire Protection Association, as the Head of their Special Projects Group working on large scales fire trials for the defence and commercials sectors.

Ian Savage

Chief Engineer for Transversals and Technical Assurance , BMT

Ian Savage is the Chief Engineer for Transversals and Technical Assurance at BMT. He provides leadership in whole ship design areas including Survivability, Fire Protection, Materials, Standardisation and Technical Assurance of design. He has over twenty years of experience in Naval Engineering in both Surface and Sub-surface craft and specialises in Naval Recoverability.

Dr James Gockling

Principle Fire Protection Engineer, BMT

Dr James Glockling is a Principal Fire Protection Engineer within the Naval Engineering Team of BMT and is the current Chair of BSI FSH/16 'Hazards to life from fire'. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering and PhD in nuclear engineering. Following post-doctorate study, he worked as, a lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Fire Safety Engineering, a forensic fire investigator, and ran research laboratories at the Loss Prevention Council (LPC), Building Research Establishment (BRE), and the Fire Protection Association (FPA) where he ran the UK insurance research scheme, RISCAuthority. Jim’s principal areas of expertise are in suppression and detection technologies and complex risk mitigation scenarios. Jim is now visiting Professor at the University of Central Lancashire and continues to work promoting resilience with the commercial built environment and maritime sectors. 

William Edge

Senior Engineering Manager (Future Programmes), Babcock International Group

William Edge is the Senior Engineering Manager within Babcock’s Future Programmes team, having joined the company in January 2021. William has experience in the design, integration, and support of a range of marine engineering systems having spent time working on major UK and international naval programmes for both Thales Naval and Rolls-Royce. William is a Chartered Marine Engineer and holds both an MSc and a BEng in Marine Engineering from Newcastle University

Iain Tall CEng FIMarEST

Naval Combat System Engineer, Altarma Engineering Ltd

Iain Tall is a Naval Combat System Engineer with over 3 decades of Royal Navy experience. He retired from the RN in 2022 establishing Altarma Engineering Ltd and is currently providing independent engineering consultancy services to Navy Digital and Carbon60 Project Services. Iain is a former chair of the IMarEST Engine as a Weapon International Symposium and continues to sit on the symposium Technical Advisory Committee.  A member of the IMarEST Naval Engineering Special Interest Group he has an interest in the future naval battlespace and its implications for platform and combat system design.

Nicholas Smith

Executive: Global Systems Product and Technology Leader, GE Power Conversion

Responsible for proposing, developing, and executing Advanced System and Product Solutions, as well as managing system NPIs to support system offerings.

Nick has more than 30 years’ technical leadership experience with the Marine & Power Conversion Business, including more than 25 years in commercial, offshore and Military Marine solutions. 

Responsible for the Design, build and setting to work of Many Naval Power and Propulsion Systems including Type 23 Frigates, Type 45 Destroyers, Albion Class LPDs, Zumwalt Class Destroyers, the Electric Ship Technology Demonstrator, and the Queen Elizabeth Class Power System, as well as numerous commercial marine platforms.

Has also spent significant periods of time in Mining Systems, and in Power Electronics and system engineering for onshore and offshore wind applications around the world.

He has significant experience of customer technical solution development, project execution, site work, commissioning and after sales support, both onshore and offshore, in Africa, Asia, US and Europe.  Nick has also held significant technical leadership roles in volume power electronics manufacturing and global software production.

Nick has an Honours degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, sits on the Lloyds Register Technical Committee for Naval and Offshore, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering & Technology

Dr Thomas Beard

Senior Analysis Engineer, BMT

Dr. Thomas Beard is a chartered engineer and the clean maritime/alternative fuels lead for Defence at BMT. He has a PhD in Hydrogen Safety from Loughborough University, following this he has spent several years in industry working on a variety of aspects of ship and submarine design and build. He is a member of the two UK maritime hydrogen working groups and is on the steering group for a research program on ammonia in maritime. He has published and presented numerous papers on the topic of alternative fuels for maritime and naval platforms.

Toby Drywood

Sales Account Manager-UK Ships, BMT

Toby Drywood served for 25 years as a surface ship marine engineer officer in the RN, completing operational tours in escort vessels, taskforces, on flotilla and headquarters staffs and in a variety of engineering support roles. Since joining BMT has delivered a range of projects, support transformation and delivery.

Andy Michael

QinetiQ

Eur Ing Andrew Michael CEng CMarEng FIET FIMarEST RCNC

Andrew Michael received a BSc in Electrical Engineering at RNEC Manadon and an MSc in Digital Systems at Brunel University. His career has encompassed multiple technical and business roles within the maritime sector, firstly in the MoD and subsequently in QinetiQ, including research, T&E and project and programme management.  His last full-time role was as Head of Engineering for QinetiQ’s Maritime Division. Now working part-time, he undertakes technical and safety assurance across a number of QinetiQ projects

Rear Admiral JJ Bailey

Jeremy Bailey has had a varied career in the Royal Navy since 1992. He joined as a Marine Engineer Officer where he has served on Type 23 surface ships conducting operations; serving in the MOD Naval Staff during SDSR 2010; been the Team Lead for engineering support to Type 23 Frigates and developing the support solution for Type 45 Destroyers and Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers.

In 2019, he assumed Command of HMNB Portsmouth and led the mobilisation of the Carrier Base capability, delivered all Naval Base outputs through the COVID Pandemic, acquired and delivered the Portsmouth Future Maritime Support Programme transformation and led the Naval Base Net Zero Carbon programme to set a long-term commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050.  From June 2022 he served as Commandant of the Defence College of Technical Training delivering military engineers and technicians for all 3 services. 

Promoted to Rear Admiral in February 2023, he joined the Submarine Delivery Agency as the Director Submarine Support responsible for the delivery of available and capable Submarines to the Royal Navy, disposal of the legacy Submarine fleet and Maritime Technical Infrastructure portfolio to deliver sovereign submarine support.

Commander Richard Hudson

Chair,

No bio provided