Coastal Powerhouse Summit

A Solent native, he joined the Royal Navy as an Apprentice and has worked in the Naval Base at many stages of his career. Marcel has an MSc in Engineering and Management with Distinction, from Portsmouth University, and is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology. He has over 35 years experience in engineering and leadership, across the fields of integration, digital networks, communications, weapons and sensors. He has personally lead agile teams, acquisition projects, operational departments and support organisations, as well as delivered and managed training, both ashore and at sea. He has also delivered engineering globally and in conflict, ashore and at sea, serving in the first Gulf War, the Kosovo crisis and Afghanistan: as well as undertaking humanitarian disaster relief in the Philippines and flood relief in the United Kingdom. As a Non-Executive Director to UK Maritime Solent he supports their mission to promote a thriving maritime sector within the central south coast of England, anchored around the Solent. He is a member of both the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the City and Guilds of London Institute, as well as a STEM Ambassador.

With over 20 years experience in the cruise industry, his remit also includes the continued development of P&O Cruises, the UK’s market leading cruise line, for which he has held responsibility since 2018. This includes the two LNG-powered 185,000 tonne Excel class ships – Iona, which joined the fleet in May 2021 and Arvia, launched in December 2022. These ships continue the evolution of the company with contemporary innovations, brand partnerships and guest experiences.

Cunard will expand its fleet with the delivery of Queen Anne in 2024 and which will build on the rich legacy of this exceptional brand.

Previously Princess Cruises managing director, UK & Europe, Paul led commercial operations in the UK and across 16 European offices. He established and developed the UK as Princess’ largest market outside North America and oversaw initiatives to promote growth across the UK and Europe. His personal highlight was the coordination and delivery of Royal Princess in Southampton, named by HRH, The Duchess of Cambridge in June 2013, which generated unprecedented global media interest.

Prior to his role with Princess, Paul held a number of senior sales and commercial based positions within Carnival UK, encompassing a portfolio of brands including P&O Cruises, Cunard and Ocean Village.

He was a co-founder and Managing Director of the high growth ASV Ltd, designing and building unmanned boats in the UK. After selling that business he went on to be the CTO of Ocean Infinity, became a non-exec director of the National Oceanography Centre and launched his current focus which is RAD Propulsion. He has made several seed investments in young founders companies in the marine tech and robotics space and is passionate about supporting the UK marine tech industry.

His degree is in mechanical engineering after which he studied accountancy. He is a Board member of the Solent Freeport Consortium, Maritime UK Solent and the Hampshire Prosperity Partnership, a Patron of the Maritime Archaeological Trust and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Hampshire.

He leads on corporate strategy, portfolio management and delivery of ABP’s sustainability strategy, ‘Ready for Tomorrow’.

Max also leads ABP’s Energy Ventures Accelerator (EVA), a programme launched in partnership with global innovation platform Plug and Play, which aims to help promising startups scale their businesses in high-growth energy transition sectors, such as hydrogen, floating wind, carbon capture and low-carbon fuels. Max joined ABP in 2020 from the professional services firm, EY, where he was a Senior Manager in the global management consulting practice serving infrastructure clients across the energy, transport, real estate and central government sectors. Max holds an MA in Non-Proliferation and International Security from King’s College London, and a BA in Politics from Nottingham University.

Chris brings a wealth of experience from across the sector and has led on many important matters including the establishment of Maritime UK’s Regional Council, advocating for funding, and fostering cross-industry relationships to support progress across the industry.

Before joining the LEP, Anne-Marie had held senior executive leadership posts for more than 20 years in further education, the Civil Service (Department of Business Innovation and Skills) and local government.

Keith is a Green Angel Ventures investor and his focus is on decarbonisation technologies.

As Commercial Director at Solent Stevedores Clive’s role is to develop new opportunities, enhance existing customer relationships, manage stakeholder relationships with Landlords and Port Operators and to support the departmental managers to deliver results to our customer base.

These include an order for 12 large hovercraft for the Indian Coast Guard, the largest craft built in UK since 1980 for the Korean Coastguard and fleets for the Canadian Coastguard, Pakistan Navy, Peruvian Marines, Colombian Marines (latter two for counter narco-terrorist operations), Hovertravel’s ferries and for the Saudi Border Guard. Recently completed a three ferry hovercraft project for Oita Prefecture, Japan, craft for the Polish Border Guard, a military design consultancy for a Far East Navy and a design project for the Canadian Coastguard. Won the Queens Award for Export, a National Apprenticeship Employer of the Year Award and the MUK Solent Award for International Partnership.
Previously in directorial appointments in the retail and healthcare sectors after serving in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers including front line command with the Royal Marines in Iraq and Norway. Trained at the Army Command and Staff College, a Chartered Aeronautical Engineer and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society; he studied Aeronautics and Astronautics BSc(Hons) at Southampton and Defence Technology MSc at Cranfield.

As the Founding Director of the Centre for Environmental and Renewable Energy Solutions (CERES), he has managed over £15 million in externally funded projects, driving impactful research in sustainable energy and environmental technologies. David’s work extends beyond academia as Director of the International Cleantech Network and Greentech South, where he has supported cleantech development by facilitating over £65 million in inward investment and creating more than 790 jobs. David has a strong background in leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing policy. He is dedicated to advancing low-carbon solutions and fostering sustainable growth at both local and global levels.

During that time he has established ventures in the UK, USA, Denmark and Australia and has also worked in a number of countries, including Singapore. With experience in both commercial and leisure marine, (including powerboat racing) he is the original founder of Ecomar Propulsion. He started the company to address the sectors need for clean propulsion. Following five years of preliminary research, Eugene now leads a team of industry experts who are engaged in developing advanced technology and integration of zero emission propulsion systems. He regularly works with academic and business leaders to achieve rapid decarbonisation in maritime environments. Eugene currently holds the post of Associate Professor of Decarbonisation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter and is educated to post graduate level. He is an alumni of both Leeds University and City University Business School (UK).

Prior to joining QinetiQ, Chris worked in Oil and Gas where he had roles developing Leadership, delivering decommissioning strategy for 14 oil fields, and as a Field and Terminal manager in Aberdeen.

Chris served in the Royal Navy for 28 years reaching the rank of Captain before retiring early. A Submariner by trade, his first appointment was on HMS OPPORTUNE before serving in various nuclear submarines of the SWIFTSURE, VANGUARD and TRAFALGAR classes. He passed the Perisher course in 2000, oversaw a complex nuclear repair in Gibraltar as XO in HMS TIRELESS, and commanded HMS TORBAY from 2004-2006. Other appointments of note included, Patrol Vessel command, Assistant Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee in MoD, UK/US Submarine Liaison Officer in the British Embassy in Washington DC, and Commander of the aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. His first appointment as a Captain saw him responsible for the Royal Navy People Strategy, before his final role in the Royal Navy where he worked for Flag Officer Sea Training as the Captain responsible for all Submarine Sea and Shore Training, including oversight of the Perisher Course.

Chris is President of the Gosport Submariners Association, a committee member of the Friends of the RN SM Museum, a Liveryman and Upper Warden in the Tinplate Workers alias Wire Workers, and a Younger Brother of Trinity House. A Governor at Bay House School, Gosport, Chris is also a Director of Portsmouth Harbour Marine and is on the organising committee of the Gosport Marine Festival.

Scarlett oversees Maritime UK’s programmes and has continued to raise the profile of the maritime sector with the public, young people, government, and key decision-makers.

Prior to joining Maritime UK, Scarlett worked as a Parliamentary Assistant in the House of Commons. She remains committed to creating a talented and diverse maritime workforce and has created the Maritime Future Leaders Programme to support the next generation of leaders in the maritime sector.

The Solar Scout platform is a fully autonomous ocean robot capable of 6 month deployments in the open ocean.

In her role, she is spearheading projects to accelerate the UK’s clean energy transition. Having originally joined ABP as a Graduate Management Trainee in Southampton, Lex has more than 15 years’ experience at the organisation. She has successfully delivered projects across a wide range of business functions, from operations to property management and from project management to commercial. Lex holds a Marine Geography degree from Cardiff University.

He spent more than seven years
in the Merchant Navy, working in global supply chain operations aboard vessels with leading
companies such as Mediterranean Shipping Company and V Ships. At Invest India, he has
worked closely with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Government of India,
providing policy and strategy advisory while leading initiatives in data strategy, workforce
development, and managing national-level infrastructure programs, including Sagarmala. His
current work focuses on investment strategy and facilitation, infrastructure development,
and fostering public-private partnerships.

Ashley has extensive experience with delivery of conventional fuels and in recent years, developing the first blended biofuel offering at the Port of Southampton.

She has built a large network of maritime sector leaders and is able to utilise this to support key programmes. Prior to this appointment she worked with the Maritime UK national careers programme.

Dr Wright leads a multidisciplinary team delivering high-impact projects that bridge academia and industry. His team’s innovations include developing autonomous vessel testing facilities, advancing hull architecture for enhanced fuel efficiency, prototyping zero-emission electric vessels, and improving realism in maritime simulation. These initiatives are setting new benchmarks for clean propulsion technologies, operational safety, and environmental stewardship in the global shipping industry.

A recognised authority in systems-based sustainability approaches, Dr Wright is the recipient several prestigious international awards and has authored and edited numerous works, including on actionable insights for businesses navigating the transition to net-zero. He also serves as a scientific advisor to multiple maritime industry working groups, influencing policy and driving collaboration across sectors. His insights have been instrumental in advancing sustainable practices that balance commercial viability with environmental responsibility.

This includes the commercial use of satellite communications, Earth observation (EO), and GNSS, which are revolutionising the way we monitor, manage, and optimise maritime operations.
In my current role as an ESA Ambassador for the BASS programme, I work to raise awareness of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the funding opportunities available to companies leveraging space technologies. I provide guidance on securing finance, investment, and grants to help businesses access the resources they need for growth and innovation. Additionally, I assist with BASS applications, reviewing drafts prior to submission, and offering strategic support with project planning to ensure companies are well-positioned for investment in the space and maritime industries.

Before launching Azure Ventures, Greg was an active angel investor and strategic advisor, working closely with a range of maritime and marine businesses to accelerate growth and optimise operations.

Earlier in his career, Greg held senior leadership positions at NatWest and Lombard, where he led aviation and marine business divisions, gaining extensive experience in financial structuring, asset-backed lending, and industry-specific investment strategies.

Greg holds a degree in Politics and Economics from the University of Natal and completed his law conversion and Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School. He is admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales.

Most notably Steve has driven the innovative growth of the port’s environmental and sustainable ambitions, a concept evident in the Sea Change project – a UK-first in shore power technology, offering multi-berth, multi-user, multi-frequency clean electricity – and the terminal’s groundbreaking environmental design, as the port seeks to become zero emissions by 2050. Working alongside government departments and innovative industries, Steve has a wealth of expertise in the emerging field of sustainable marine and maritime technologies.

He is an industry advisor on training development and speaks internationally on workforce assurance, skills and training development for the operation of uncrewed marine systems. He is committed to driving the maritime digital skills agenda and is at the forefront in the development of competencies, skills and training requirements for the operation of remote and autonomous marine systems. Gordon is a member of several maritime autonomy working groups and industry forums leading on next generation skills development. He co-created the International Maritime Competency Development Working Group, MASSPeople. Currently, with 8 nations as members, the group is capturing and defining new and emerging roles, and mapping competencies between humans and machines to co-exist alongside automation in maritime.

Since graduating with a Masters degree in Ship Science from the University of Southampton in 2002, Rob has worked as a naval architect in the Solent region across various marine design and consultancy roles in commercial, yacht and defence sectors. In his position as Principal Naval Architect at Chartwell Marine in Hamble, a trusted pioneer in next-generation vessel design, Rob has extensive involvement in the design development, optimisation and testing of innovative vessel designs.

Responsible for leading over 450 Maritime Services apprentices and graduates and with 36 staff, Maritime Services Early Careers doesn’t just deliver the future BAE workforce to support the Royal Navy’s readiness – we develop safe, confident, and proud leaders through our industry-leading schemes.