My conversations during IMarEST Week made one thing clear: we are more relevant than ever

Last week was IMarEST Week, when members from around the world gathered for our AGM, Council, Board of Trustees meetings, President’s Lecture, strategy sessions, Fellows’ event, and the prestigious 121st Annual Dinner. In a period of rapid change and global uncertainty, Chris Goldsworthy, our CEO, reflects on the conversations he enjoyed during the week, which have reinforced why he believes the Institute is more relevant than ever. 

As ever, I found our annual meet up in London, inspiring, fun, useful, and exhausting in equal measure! But this year, I was struck by how those around me were expounding that the IMarEST is vital, with several themes emerging.  

Professional standards for a digital world 

In a complex world, where digitalisation and rapid innovation are sending all of us into new territory, it is vital that people working in our sector can benchmark themselves against the highest professional standards. It is equally important for employers to be able to do the same when developing their talent. This is why professional registration remains especially relevant and why we are working to ensure our offer is continuously improving and becoming more focused. 

A trusted technical voice 

Also, with trust harder to win than ever, it is vital that the IMarEST provides a reliable, authentic and trusted technical voice for the sector. By feeding the rigorous technical work from across our networks into international forums, we help ensure that marine policies and regulations are grounded in the best available expertise. We are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who continue to make this happen. 

Our global community 

In fact, the IMarEST connects marine professionals from around the world to share knowledge, solve challenges, and shape the sector’s future. We may be headquartered in London, but we are a truly international institute, and I am really proud that we continue to expand our local footprint whilst delivering international impact. 

For me, the popularity of our Annual Dinner was also a testament to the importance of our community. The sell-out event gathered individual members and corporate partners at the Plaisterers’ Hall, a beautiful venue in which to come together and celebrate our shared purpose. 

The evening offered a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old acquaintances, make new connections, and celebrate our achievements in marine engineering, science and technology. I also very much enjoyed hearing from Robert Llewellyn, our guest speaker. Many of you may know him from Red Dwarf or Scrapheap Challenge, but you may not know that he is also a strong advocate for electric vehicles. 

Spread the word 

I’ve left IMarEST Week feeling inspired and passionate about continuing to spread the IMarEST message, I therefore ask all our members to join me in acting as ambassadors for the Institute. Please encourage your colleagues and collaborators to join, become professionally registered, and play an active part in our global community. Only by collaborating across the industry can we ensure a united, safe and sustainable marine sector that upholds the very highest professional standards. 

Get involved 

There are so many opportunities to get involved. Institute members can join one of our branches, become an assessor, contribute to a Special Interest Group, or take part in one of the many other groups that drive the Institute’s professional programmes and our technical and policy work. 

I look forward to working with you all over the next year alongside our new presidential team of Deborah Greaves (President), Claudene Sharp-Patel (President Elect) and Stephen Da Mora (Immediate Past President). We all hope to see you at future gatherings, including London for IMarEST Week 2027, to continue the conversations.