Vanguard Magazine

Game Changer 44 DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? I joined the UK Ministry of Defence straight from high school and was spon- sored by them through a Master's in Naval Architecture. The CPF program brought me to Canada, and a succession of terrific mentors and fortunate oppor- tunities have helped me onwards ever since. In particular, I'll single out my in- volvement through Transport Canada in the work that led to the Polar Code and its associated rules and standards, which have allowed me to become involved in polar technology projects of many types worldwide. Q What is your role at your organization today? I'm currently transitioning from Vice President in charge of Vard Marine's Ottawa office into a new role with them as a principal consultant, which will al- low me to take on the new challenge of becoming the next President of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. This is a huge honour. I'll be the first non-US resident to hold the po- sition, which I hope will help me bring new perspectives to SNAME's work in- ternationally. With Vard, I expect to stay involved particularly with the technical aspects of our various ice-capable ship designs, and with the coordination of our research and development efforts in this area. Q What was your most challenging moment? It's difficult to pick; there have been so many! My career has not been short of adrenalin. While falling into the ice- covered waters of the Northumberland Strait is right up there, I think the most difficult issues I have had to face have been ethical, where I have had to con- front clients who wanted me to do – or not to do – things that conflicted with my values and sense of duty. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? The need for more research, and for more effective development of what we learn from it. The world is changing fast around us, and we are not doing enough in the marine sector to understand the implications and adapt to them. Our cli- ents want us to design ships that will be still in service 50 years into the future. When I try to look forward 50 years, I see a totally new operating environment, and I don't want to be designing dino- saurs. Q What is a habit that contributes to your success? I am endlessly curious. I usually have four or five books on the go, covering science, economics, history, and vari- ous types of fiction, and supplement this with magazines and a variety of news feeds. I believe this helps me to identify trends and linkages that can support cor- porate strategic planning, proposal and project delivery and the identification of issues needing to be addressed. Q What people or organizations do you believe best embody the innovation mindset? Bengt Johansson of CANMAR was one of the revolutionaries in icebreaker and offshore platform design in the 1970s and 1980s, with vessels such as the Kigoriak and the Oden. He decomposed the prob- lem and put things back together in new and different ways. Ben won a number of awards for his work but was not a self-pro- moter, so is less widely recognized than he deserves. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? We've been very fortunate in dealing with the pandemic to date, due to the measures we had already implement to facilitate working from home and also across offices and time zones through the use of a "one team" philosophy covering all of Vard Marine's offices. But we have lost some things, and need to develop better means of handling brainstorming, mentoring, and other activities that thrive most with face-to-face contact. We've established a task force to work on this, looking at lessons learned from other organizations. On the business side, the twin mantras are digitization and decarbonization. We are working on several autonomous ship projects, and on ways to help our clients meet emission reduction targets. These both require long-term transitions, but I expect we will be a lot further advanced by the end of 2022. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Always be ready to challenge the conven- tional wisdom. As I noted, we're in an era of rapid changes and today's problems are not likely to be solved by yesterday's methods. anDrew KenDricK PrinciPal consultant VArd mArine inC.

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