Vanguard Magazine

22 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com PersPeCtive Sponsored Content ship program in the last 40 years. We have a team of over 1000 engineers (spread out across the US and Canada) support- ing 164 ships and submarines. Currently, we support the DDG 51 Destroyer pro- gram and Team Submarine. We provide lifecycle sustainment support to the large- deck amphibious warfare ship programs and support a variety of C4ISR needs for Naval Engineering Command. In the UK, Serco delivers the full spec- trum of marine services to the Royal Navy, which includes tug, towage services, fuel- ing, and ammunition functions, specialist training, out of port, and harbour master support. It's a 15 year and £1 billion pri- vate finance initiative that boasts a 99.9 per cent success rate. In Australia, our team has designed, built, and now manages over 1,000 defence and government assets. We also provide the commercial crews to efficiently operate 125 vessels for the Australian Navy. Re- cently and perhaps most relevant to Cana- dian readers is our work on Australia's new ice breaker, the RSV Nuyina. Serco primed the design and build and will now operate and maintain the Nuyina – a state-of-the- art, 24,000 tonne, 160-foot ship that will provide Australia with safe unprecedented and extended access to Antarctica. These are just a few examples that help profile Serco's prowess in the maritime domain, but suffice to say, Serco is one of the largest and most capable maritime companies in the world. Q Given the extent of Serco's experi- ence in the maritime domain, how is Serco Canada Marine positioned to support the Royal Canadian Navy, as well as, the Canadian Coast Guard in its ongoing initiatives? In Canada, we're focused on building Ca- nadian talent and expertise. We're look- ing to stay in lockstep with Canada as it works to build a sustainable shipbuilding industry. For Serco, this means building expertise in-country and answering Cana- da's call for high value jobs and increased economic benefit for it defence dollars. It means cultivating the next generation of Canadian Naval Engineers through things like skills development and training and investment into local post-secondary pro- gramming. By making a concerted effort to build in-country expertise, while still leveraging Serco's global experience, we hope to serve Canada's maritime commu- nity in a number of ways. serCo CAnAdA MArine leverageS canaDIan talent to provIDe enD to enD SolutIonS In the MarItIMe DoMaIn Q Russ, it's great to speak with you. I believe the last time we spoke; you were working as the GM for Alion Science and Technology here in Canada. Can you tell us about how Alion Canada came to be Serco Canada Marine? Absolutely. Thanks, Marcello. Serco's ac- quisition of Alion's Naval Systems Business unit, including Alion Canada (collectively 'NSBU') happened almost exactly one year ago, in August 2019. And so far, so good. The capabilities brought to bear on both sides are proving to be incredibly comple- mentary. Combining Alion's capabilities as a leading provider of naval ship design and engineering services with Serco's existing strengths in shipboard, shore and systems installation and in-service support services means Serco can now offer the full spectrum of services required to design, integrate and support critical maritime platforms. For Serco Canada Marine, this means incred- ible global reach back, additional capacity and new opportunities to leverage its home- grown capabilities in naval ship and subma- rine design and engineering services. Q Given the acquisition, how would you describe the core capabilities of Serco Canada Marine? There's no doubt that Serco Canada Marine (formerly Alion Canada) is best known for its extensive capabilities in na- val design and engineering – expertise the company acquired and subsequently grew to support Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. As the design agent on the Royal Canadian Navy's Joint Support Ship (JSS) program, for instance, the company is pro- viding design support that ranges from functional to detailed production design. Serco's marine capabilities, however, ex- tend well beyond design and engineering to include integrated logistics support and in-service-support services more broadly – the goal being to offer the full spectrum of services required to design, integrate and support Canada's maritime platforms from Canada, using Canadian talent. Q Given the fact that many Canadians will know Serco (in Canada) as a provider of professional, and management ser- vices, what is it that you would like them to know about the company's pedigree in the maritime domain? That's a great question, Marcello. While Serco is in fact a public services expert that specializes in the delivery of all kinds of es- sential public services all over the world, its pedigree in the maritime domain spe- cifically, is second to none. Nearly a third of Serco's global revenue results are from serving defence customers – the majority of which are naval. In North America, the United States Navy is our largest single customer. In fact, Serco has touched almost every US Navy Vanguard's managing editor, Marcello Sukhdeo sat down with Serco Canada Marine's general manager, Russell Peters to talk about the company's home- grown capabilities in naval design and engineering and to discuss how the company is growing to serve Canada's maritime community.

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