Vanguard Magazine

GAme CHanGER 44 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com See the full interview online Q What is your role in the organization today? After retiring from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 2018, following a 35- year career serving in various leadership roles, I became the Managing Director of Fleetway Incorporated and Oceanic Consulting Corporation. In my current role, I am responsible to grow our repu- tation and service offerings to our main clients in DND, the RCN, and Cana- dian Coast Guard. Q What was your most challenging moment? My most challenging moment in the RCN was getting the modernized Hal- ifax-class frigates, upgraded Victoria- class submarines, and Kingston-class patrol vessels into meaningful service and sustained operations globally. In my mind, this resurgence signaled the readi- ness of the RCN for the major recapital- ization effort now making headway, and the essentiality of the government-in- dustry collaboration necessary to bring a nation's sovereign capabilities to bear at sea. In my private sector leadership role today, I very much feel the impetus to capitalize on the hard gains made so that the National Shipbuilding Strategy de- livers on the great promise envisaged of mobilizing government and industry in shared endeavor. Q What was your "aha" moment or epiphany that you think will resonate with most with our readers? Tell us that story. As a young officer, I used to take note of the fortunes of others and lament my own missed opportunities. There was a moment though, while investigating a major shipboard accident, when I real- ized that I was the architect of my own career. The investigation brought me into the unfamiliar domain of configu- ration management, material assurance and the essential role of naval engineer- ing to successful and safe operations at sea. I noted that when I educated myself on the broader aspects at play, created new networks, determinably worked on reasonable options, and faced dis- senting opinions, that career fulfillment would follow. Henceforth, I made every new tasking the best assignment that I had ever been given, focused on the job at hand, and stopped lamenting what could have been. I bring this same ethos to Fleetway. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? What has me the most fired up today is learning and participating in Canada's private sector as an equally important partner to the complex readiness equa- tion. Canada's military, its capacity and readiness, depends on a collaborative and trusted partnership with industry. This relationship of industry talent, to the status of our navy, and my compa- ny's role in it, has me really fired up. Q What is the best advice you received? At a particularly difficult point in my naval career, a critical voice asked me to explain what I stood for. It was a cut- ting challenge. In retrospect, I learned that it is very easy to give off signals that you are critical of everything and believe in nothing. It is much harder to espouse ideas, lay down potential courses of ac- tion, detail plans, and envision transfor- mation strategies. But these are the sub- stance of being able to change to meet the times, to innovate to solve new problems, to truly develop an efficiency to save costs, and to learn from failure. On hearing new ideas, I learned to listen, to say yes instead of no, and to look for suggestions to help make an idea succeed before condemning it as unworkable. Q What people or organizations do you believe best embody the innovation mindset? It should come as no surprise that I be- lieve that the RCN best embodies the in- novation mindset. The modernization of the Halifax-class, introduction of Cyclone helicopters, sensor upgrades to Victoria- class submarines, imminent delivery of Harry DeWolf Class AOPVs and the un- precedented access to the Arctic created a moment in time to require innovation in maintenance and operations. The denot- ing of HMCS Montreal as X-Ship (X for experimentation and innovation) is but one initiative. The use of data analytics to administer the RCN, and wide-reaching initiatives to unlock the flow of data re- lated to engineering and maintenance, human resource administration, and fleet combat readiness speaks to the innovation drive. The project evolution of the Cana- dian Surface Combatant and other fleets of the National Shipbuilding Strategy af- fords the moment to significantly trans- form the naval training system and Project Storm speaks to this innovative thinking. Q What is your parting piece of advice? There is a considerable body of youthful talent from colleges and universities now entering the Canadian marine engineering workforce and participating in a concen- trated period of fleet design, construction, integrated logistics support, and in-service support. My advice is that, as leaders, we must celebrate their role in the sovereign business of the RCN and the Canadian Coast Guard, in as much as we celebrate the service of the sailors that have made a career choice to serve at sea. John newton Managing dirECtOr FleeTway Inc. and oceanIc consulTIng corp.

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