Organisation

Chief Executive

Allen is a civil engineer by professional training and has 40 years of experience with leading contractors in the offshore construction industry in technical, managerial and executive roles.

He has wide experience in marine contracting and played a senior role in the development of the integrated subsea construction business model with the formation of Coflexip Stena Offshore, which subsequently became Technip. He was the CEO of Perry Tritech based in the USA and latterly Executive VP of Technip’s SURF Product Line based in France. In 2003 he joined Stolt Offshore in 2003 in London (later renamed Acergy) as Chief Technology Officer within the executive management team, with a broad portfolio covering engineering, R&D, SCM, and an extensive fleet renewal programme. In 2011 Acergy merged with Subsea 7 and he took on the role of Senior VP for Engineering and Project Management. He joined IMCA as CEO in October 2015.

Allen is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a first class engineer member of the Smeatonian Society, and a chartered engineer in the UK. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, a Master’s in Business Administration, and a h.c. Doctorate of Science degree.

Jim has around 30 years’ experience in the marine contracting industry as an engineer, project manager, and project director and HSEQ director.

This included working internationally on projects in the UK, South Korea, Canada, Azerbaijan, and Angola.

He joined the Brown & Root graduate engineer development scheme in 1990, advancing through the organisation and working on onshore and offshore projects. In 2006, Jim joined Subsea 7 in their London office as part of the core team establishing a new engineering and project management centre.

In the subsequent 10-year period he focused on large projects offshore in West Africa. Latterly he spent six years as HSEQ Director for the Global Projects Centre, and in early 2022 he set up his own consultancy business.

Head of Human Resources

Sandra has been working with IMCA since 2016. She provides support and expertise in all areas of human resources, such as recruitment, employee engagement, compensation & benefits, organisational development and employee relations.

She has a wealth of experience in HR gained in the oil and gas industry and has a successful track record in people management and working as part of senior management teams.

Sandra is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has held senior HR roles in both oil operators and large service contractors such as Amerada Hess, Canadian Natural Resources, GDF Suez (now Neptune Energy) Premier Oil and TechnipFMC.

Diving Manager

Bryan joined the IMCA secretariat as a Technical Adviser – Diving in February 2012 from the UK Health and Safety Executive. At the Executive, Bryan worked as a front-line inspector, initially in the metals and minerals sector and then for more than 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector. In the latter role, he was responsible for the inspection of all sectors of the diving industry in Great Britain and for the investigation of accidents, incidents and complaints related to diving at work, both onshore and offshore. In addition, Bryan supervised a number of diving research projects and developed diving industry guidance on behalf of the Executive. He also worked on diving topic assessment of oil and gas company safety cases.

Bryan began his career as a diver in the early eighties. He worked for a variety of diving contractors, most of whom are now IMCA members, in the Middle East, India, North Sea, and West Africa. Over a fifteen year period he took part in a wide range of commercial diving activities.

Bryan’s wealth of experience in the offshore diving industry and as a safety professional makes him a valued member of the IMCA team, where he focuses on the work programme of IMCA’s diving committee.

Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs

Margaret is a qualified maritime lawyer and chemical scientist who holds Chartered status with the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem) and Chartered status with the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH).

Margaret has over 20 years’ experience in shipping. She previously worked for the IMO Secretariat, leading on the development of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and related regulations on the carriage of hazardous chemicals and noxious and polluting substances, including the HNS Convention.

Her experience also includes working for a member of the International Association of Classification Societies as a senior safety and environmental specialist, and as an expert adviser on several high-profile maritime incidents.

Head of Energy Transition

Iain Grainger has over 30 years experience in offshore marine construction around the world.   He spent the early part of his career engineering and managing the installation of major offshore infrastructure before moving into commercial and strategy roles with tier one contractors.

Iain is a chartered engineer and has an MBA.    He a past president of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and is currently supporting IMCA in expanding their position in offshore renewables.

Marine & Quality Manager

Mark joined the IMCA secretariat in February 2012 from Charles Taylor Consulting, where he worked as a senior surveyor and divisional director in the safety and loss prevention department. His work involved carrying out ship condition surveys prior to and during entry into P&I insurance cover, writing various technical and safety articles for the safety and loss department publications.

Mark worked for over 25 years as a marine engineer on bulk carriers and diving support vessels, ultimately sailing to the rank of chief engineer. He has worked as an engineer superintendent for a product tanker company which involved dry dockings, general repairs and the daily running of the fleet and also as a consultant marine engineer, specialising in FMEAs and retro-fit specifications.

Mark leads IMCA’s Marine Technical Division and our integrated quality management system with ISO Certification in both 27001 and 9001.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Bill Chilton joined IMCA in November 2021 as Technical Adviser – Diving.

He has 25 years of experience in the commercial diving industry. Prior to joining IMCA Bill worked at the UK Health & Safety Executive for 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry. During his time at the HSE, Bill also worked as a decommissioning specialist when he was seconded for a period to a team specialising in decommissioning.

Prior to his time at the HSE, Bill worked as an air and saturation diver on a wide range of diving projects.  During this period, he also held a variety of topside positions, including project engineer and project manager.

Bill holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography; an MSc in Marine Resource Management; and an MSc in Decommissioning.

Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy

Rhys Jones joined IMCA in June 2022 as Technical Adviser for Marine Renewable Energy.

Rhys worked for RenewableUK for 12 years as Head of Technical Affairs with a strong focus on offshore wind, health, safety and wellbeing, and regulatory compliance. Rhys has developed various industry good practice guidance documents for these areas and run many industry committees associated with this.

Prior to joining RenewableUK Rhys worked for Petrofac Training Services as Staff Training Manager Survival & Marine which also brings the added benefit to IMCA of a strong competence and training background.

Consultant – Safety and Security

Nick supports the work of the IMCA Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) Committee. He holds a NEBOSH General Certificate in occupational safety and health, and is responsible for all IMCA Safety Flashes and safety statistics, and for supporting the development of safety promotional material and guidance.

Before joining IMCA in January 2005, Nick had a career as a chief observer or senior survey engineer in offshore seismic survey. Nick has a degree in Physics and Geology and a HNC in Electronics, and started work with Seismograph Service Ltd (SSL) in 1988, continuing to work offshore all over the world with Geco-Prakla and WesternGeco until 2004.

Technical Assistant – Diving

Kester Keighley joined IMCA as Technical Assistant – Diving in November 2017, having previously undertaken similar work for the association. He is particularly involved in the review of diving contractor membership applications, as part of our focus upon improving members’ services.

Holding an Honours Degree in Nautical Studies and an MA in Maritime Archaeology, Kester is an experienced saturation diver having worked in the Middle East, the North Sea, West Africa & India. Most recently he has been working as a diving supervisor overseeing wet-bell operations on a large archaeological diving project in the southern sector.

Membership Services Team Lead

Chelsea leads the Membership Services Group, overseeing the team’s activities in membership, publications and certification. She is the main point of contact for all membership related enquiries and leads the membership application and renewal process, manages our database of contacts and the committee election process.

Chelsea joined IMCA straight from university in 2015 having graduated in America Studies.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Ali joined IMCA in February 2019 from The Underwater Centre in Fort William, UK where he was the Diver Training Manager.

Ali is a qualified Air and Closed Bell Diver, a Dive Supervisor and highly experienced Diver Medic, having gained extensive experience for over 20 years treating divers both inside and outside the chamber. During his career Ali has assisted the Health & Safety Executive and other authorities in investigating diving accidents and has also been called as an expert witness due to his specialist knowledge of diving techniques and diving medicine.

Experienced in training, assessment and verification as well as dive project planning and risk assessment, Ali’s initial remit on joining IMCA was to ensure that IMCA Training Providers around the world continue to deliver quality training to the offshore diving industry. In September 2019 Ali’s remit was expanded to cover a wider range of diving related activities.

Ali has a passion and a reputation in the diving industry for delivering high quality training to members of the dive team.

Director for Client Engagement – Europe & Africa

As director for client engagement, David supports the Association in developing and expanding its engagement with oil companies and the broader industry.

David joined the offshore industry in 1975 with Oceaneering, and during a 20 year career held various roles, including General Manager of the Southern North Sea and West African business units, before spending three years at McDermott Subsea as Business Development Manager in the North Sea and West Africa. In 1998 he joined Brown & Root as UK Business Development Manager, and in the years that followed played a crucial part in a number of significant business integrations and acquisitions leading up to the merger of Acergy and Subsea 7 in 2011.

In 2016 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Subsea UK annual awards.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Richard joined IMCA in June 2021 having gained 25 years of experience in the DP related industry.

Richard started his career as a cadet engineer with P&O Containers where he stayed until obtaining his Class 2 Engineering certificate. He then moved into the offshore industry first on seismic survey, followed by pipelayers and then onto DSVs during which time he gained his Class 1 Chief Engineers Certificate.

Richard worked for a number of years at Trinity House Lighthouse Authority and was involved in their new build programme.

Richard came ashore to work for an Aberdeen based DP Consultancy, PML, which was acquired by Noble Denton and then DNV. He spent 13 years as a DP Practitioner producing FMEAs on all types of Dynamically Positioned vessels as well as incident investigations and FMEA analysis on mission critical equipment, specialising in closed bus FMEAs utilising advanced generator protection systems and hybrid battery systems.

Technical Adviser – Remote Systems and ROV, Offshore Survey, Digitalisation

Andre joined IMCA in November 2018. He has spent most of the last 18 years working in the ROV industry. This has included time as a Pilot/Technician, Superintendent, ROV Manager and Client Representative.

Andre has a background with the Royal Navy, where he spent 19 years in its Fleet Air Arm working with rotary and fixed wing aircraft. Initially, he completed an apprenticeship in aircraft mechanical engineering, before being trained as an avionics engineer.

When he left the service, after a short time as a technical author with Westland helicopters, he was appointed a Technical Trainer to the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Saudi Air Force.

As well as being a trained ROV Operator and Technician, Andre has a master’s degree in IT from Liverpool University, and is a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Graeme joined IMCA as Technical Adviser, Marine in May 2018 and since then has been involved in developing the DP Accreditation scheme, updating many of the key DP guidance documents, supporting IMCA’s technical seminar programme and implementing IMCA’s quality management system gaining ISO accreditation in late 2018.

Graeme started his career as an electrical engineering apprentice in a papermill before moving into the Marine and Oil & Gas industry. During his 25-year career in oil and gas, Graeme has worked with ABB, Poseidon Maritime, Noble Denton and Germanischer Lloyd in a range of technical and senior management positions. Between 2010 and 2016 Graeme focused on establishing and developing his own marine assurance, consulting and technical recruitment businesses which he sold in late 2016.

Graeme has worked at technical, management and board level during his career primarily focusing on the DP and Marine consulting sector.

Accounts Co-ordinator

Jill joined us in July 2015 as our Accounts Co-ordinator. Jill has a strong all round bookkeeping background which helps her support IMCA in all things accounting.

Jill has experience as a bookkeeper for a security firm and doing the accounts for a local tennis club.

Consultant – Marine

Andy has a wealth of experience on a range of dynamically positioned (DP) vessels. He holds Nautical Institute DP certificate number 127 in a world where the certificate numbers are now well past 23,000, so he is well placed to advise on the association’s  DP and Marine Division work load. Andy is supporting our eCMID activities.

Andy’s career began with Texaco Overseas Tankship at 16. He completed a four year cadetship, qualifying as a Third Mate, and during his ten years with the company obtained a class 2 Chief Mate certificate.

Andy spent 17 years on various DP vessels both monohull and semisubmersible (including Semi 1, Semi 2 and Regalia) as a travelling senior DPO. He also captained Rockwater 1 and 2 and the Smit Pioneer working offshore in Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada. Six years ashore in the operations department of Smit International followed; he also worked with Maritime Progress, producers of marine industry training posters, manuals and safety signage.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Peter joined IMCA’s Diving Team in April 2012, following 14 years at the Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) as a Principle Inspector. Having started as an inspector with HSE, Peter subsequently managed the Southern Diving Inspection Team, looking after the health and safety of divers through inspection and investigation in both the offshore and onshore sectors of diving.

Peter began his diving career in Canada, moving to England in the late 70s. Initially working in Plymouth at a diver training school, his career took him to the commercial sector, which included a research post at University College London and then to Rockwater as the ROV & Inspection Services Manager, which broadened his offshore construction knowledge. Peter has had input to many facets of the diving industry including research, legislation, diver training and project management reinforced throughout by diver safety.

He holds a BA in Technology (Open) and a Post Graduate Diploma and MSc in Occupational Health and Safety (Aston).

IT Services & Solutions Specialist

Adam is responsible for the support and continuous improvement of our IT platform, including: the secretariat network; Microsoft 365 services; and the eCMID vessel inspection system. His developer talents include various website and database projects, as well as Dynamics 365/Power Platform, liaising with external developers as required. Adam has been deeply involved in ISO 27001 (information security) and data protection projects and has driven a cloud-first approach for IMCA.

Adam previously worked for IMCA from 1998 to 2010, mainly in the role of Support Services Manager. He spent a number of years as a freelance developer and content producer before returning to IMCA, initially for a website project  in 2016, then in this expanded IT role from late 2017.

Membership Services

Kayleigh’s main focus within the Membership Services Group, is dealing with document administration and a range of activities within the membership, accreditation and certification departments.

Kayleigh joined IMCA in March 2011 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator before moving into our accounts department then in 2015 she joined the membership team focusing on membership administration then on to accreditation and certification.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an audio typist/receptionist for a law costs draftsman.

Director for Client Engagement – North America

Bruce joined the IMCA secretariat in June 2018. He knows IMCA well having been a past Vice-Chairman of the Association’s North America regional committee.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore construction industry. Bruce joined Heerema Marine Contractors in 1985 and held a wide range of executive roles in developing the company’s successful market presence in North America.

Bruce was also a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the influential National Ocean Industries Association in Washington DC.

IT Services Technician

Ade is the primary point of contact for IT support – for the Secretariat, committee and workgroup members, and users of the eCMID inspection system – in our London offices and remotely.  He also works to maintain and improve our core systems and is actively engaged in project planning and implementation.  He has been particularly involved in: upgrading our collaboration tools, such as adoption of Microsoft Teams, videoconferencing and webinars; Dynamics 365 roll-out; SharePoint modernisation; and data migrations.

Ade joined IMCA in 2019, bringing a wealth of experience of different IT environments to boost our internal capabilities.

Head of Communications & Marketing

James joins as head of communications and marketing and has around two decades of experience working in a variety of sectors, most recently with membership associations in the UK.  

He was previously head of communications at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) which represents the companies which design, deliver, and manage the UK’s built environment and national infrastructure. Alongside this, he also led activity for its sister organisation, the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) which represents companies working in environmental technology and services.  

Separately, he has held a role as national media manager at the Country, Land and Business Association (CLA), the organisation representing rural businesses in the UK. 

He started his career in the charity sector, with two roles in PR at two UK based charities and has led CSR communications for a global health and wellbeing group. 

Events Consultant

Andrea supports our activities in the areas of marketing, communications and events.

Andrea has worked in oil and gas for most of her career gaining marketing, communications and events experience with Halliburton, McDermott International, Subsea 7 and Acergy. She also has experience working in both Civil Engineering and Defence sectors.

She has spent time working in both corporate and project roles and also spent time working on a freelance basis for a range of clients, including successfully project managing large events such as IMCA’s Annual Seminar in 2018, and many marketing and communications campaigns.

Marketing & Communications Assistant

Mathew Hawley joined IMCA in August 2021 as Marketing & Communications Assistant.

Matthew joined us straight from university after completing a Master of Arts in Media, Culture and Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Culture and Identity. Matthew gained practical experience through internships and work placements in Business, Operations & Marketing and during his studies he put his social media, podcast and video editing skills to good use.

Matthew received an “Outstanding Dissertation” prize on completion of his Masters.

Master Mariner

Dustin Varnell joined IMCA in July 2022 and has 20 years of experience in offshore energy and marine operations.   He spent over fifteen years offshore as a ship’s officer working internationally on large-scale projects in Asia, GOM, and Brazil. Dustin is a Master Mariner, an experienced Dynamic Positioning operator, and holds many industry credentials and certifications. His shipyard and vessel construction experience include projects in Japan, Singapore, and various locations in the United States.

Dustin also has construction and operational planning experience in the developing U.S. offshore renewable energy industry. He is passionate about the development of offshore renewables and the implementation of marine technology to improve safety.

Membership Services

Part of IMCA’s Membership Services Group, Kayleigh has been responsible for co-ordinating the sales of IMCA’s publications since 2014. Kayleigh’s duties include invoicing, distribution and liaison with printers, as well as dealing with the range of world-wide enquiries which IMCA receives. Kayleigh joined IMCA in June 2012 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator. She assisted the team with various administrative tasks, in particular with publications sales, as well as being the first point of contact on the telephone and for our visitors.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an administrator and receptionist for a college.

Business Development – Middle East & India

Chris Rodricks is IMCA’s representative in the Middle East and India. Chris was Chairman of our Middle East & India Region for six years until his retirement as CEO of SEAMEC in 2017. A Master Mariner by professional background, he has a long and distinguished career in operational and management roles with leading industry names such as India Steamship, Essar Shipping, GAL Offshore, Seabulk Offshore, and SEAMEC.

Membership Services

Lynne sits within our Membership Services Group handling document administration and a range of activities in accreditation and certification.

Lynne Reid joined IMCA in June 2020.

Director of Client Engagement – Asia-Pacific

Jason joined IMCA in March 2022 and has over 30 years of multi-discipline work experience in the Oil & Gas and Civil/Marine Infrastructure sectors obtained both internationally (UK and India) as well as in Southeast Asia.

He has worked for engineering consultants, leading EPC contractors and offshore service providers. In the last 25 years, his focus on the South East Asia market has enabled him to develop a unique niche of bridging gaps and positioning international companies in this region.

Jason works well in multicultural dimensions and has built an extensive network of relationships with key stakeholders and business professionals in the region. Prior to joining IMCA, Jason was Area Manager at Boskalis Offshore, responsible for the business development of their suite of offshore services including the decommissioning of offshore assets in the region.

Head of Energy Transition

Iain Grainger has over 30 years experience in offshore marine construction around the world.   He spent the early part of his career engineering and managing the installation of major offshore infrastructure before moving into commercial and strategy roles with tier one contractors.

Iain is a chartered engineer and has an MBA.    He a past president of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and is currently supporting IMCA in expanding their position in offshore renewables.

Director for Client Engagement – Europe & Africa

As director for client engagement, David supports the Association in developing and expanding its engagement with oil companies and the broader industry.

David joined the offshore industry in 1975 with Oceaneering, and during a 20 year career held various roles, including General Manager of the Southern North Sea and West African business units, before spending three years at McDermott Subsea as Business Development Manager in the North Sea and West Africa. In 1998 he joined Brown & Root as UK Business Development Manager, and in the years that followed played a crucial part in a number of significant business integrations and acquisitions leading up to the merger of Acergy and Subsea 7 in 2011.

In 2016 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Subsea UK annual awards.

Director for Client Engagement – North America

Bruce joined the IMCA secretariat in June 2018. He knows IMCA well having been a past Vice-Chairman of the Association’s North America regional committee.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore construction industry. Bruce joined Heerema Marine Contractors in 1985 and held a wide range of executive roles in developing the company’s successful market presence in North America.

Bruce was also a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the influential National Ocean Industries Association in Washington DC.

Master Mariner

Dustin Varnell joined IMCA in July 2022 and has 20 years of experience in offshore energy and marine operations.   He spent over fifteen years offshore as a ship’s officer working internationally on large-scale projects in Asia, GOM, and Brazil. Dustin is a Master Mariner, an experienced Dynamic Positioning operator, and holds many industry credentials and certifications. His shipyard and vessel construction experience include projects in Japan, Singapore, and various locations in the United States.

Dustin also has construction and operational planning experience in the developing U.S. offshore renewable energy industry. He is passionate about the development of offshore renewables and the implementation of marine technology to improve safety.

Business Development – Middle East & India

Chris Rodricks is IMCA’s representative in the Middle East and India. Chris was Chairman of our Middle East & India Region for six years until his retirement as CEO of SEAMEC in 2017. A Master Mariner by professional background, he has a long and distinguished career in operational and management roles with leading industry names such as India Steamship, Essar Shipping, GAL Offshore, Seabulk Offshore, and SEAMEC.

Director of Client Engagement – Asia-Pacific

Jason joined IMCA in March 2022 and has over 30 years of multi-discipline work experience in the Oil & Gas and Civil/Marine Infrastructure sectors obtained both internationally (UK and India) as well as in Southeast Asia.

He has worked for engineering consultants, leading EPC contractors and offshore service providers. In the last 25 years, his focus on the South East Asia market has enabled him to develop a unique niche of bridging gaps and positioning international companies in this region.

Jason works well in multicultural dimensions and has built an extensive network of relationships with key stakeholders and business professionals in the region. Prior to joining IMCA, Jason was Area Manager at Boskalis Offshore, responsible for the business development of their suite of offshore services including the decommissioning of offshore assets in the region.

Marine & Quality Manager

Mark joined the IMCA secretariat in February 2012 from Charles Taylor Consulting, where he worked as a senior surveyor and divisional director in the safety and loss prevention department. His work involved carrying out ship condition surveys prior to and during entry into P&I insurance cover, writing various technical and safety articles for the safety and loss department publications.

Mark worked for over 25 years as a marine engineer on bulk carriers and diving support vessels, ultimately sailing to the rank of chief engineer. He has worked as an engineer superintendent for a product tanker company which involved dry dockings, general repairs and the daily running of the fleet and also as a consultant marine engineer, specialising in FMEAs and retro-fit specifications.

Mark leads IMCA’s Marine Technical Division and our integrated quality management system with ISO Certification in both 27001 and 9001.

Diving Manager

Bryan joined the IMCA secretariat as a Technical Adviser – Diving in February 2012 from the UK Health and Safety Executive. At the Executive, Bryan worked as a front-line inspector, initially in the metals and minerals sector and then for more than 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector. In the latter role, he was responsible for the inspection of all sectors of the diving industry in Great Britain and for the investigation of accidents, incidents and complaints related to diving at work, both onshore and offshore. In addition, Bryan supervised a number of diving research projects and developed diving industry guidance on behalf of the Executive. He also worked on diving topic assessment of oil and gas company safety cases.

Bryan began his career as a diver in the early eighties. He worked for a variety of diving contractors, most of whom are now IMCA members, in the Middle East, India, North Sea, and West Africa. Over a fifteen year period he took part in a wide range of commercial diving activities.

Bryan’s wealth of experience in the offshore diving industry and as a safety professional makes him a valued member of the IMCA team, where he focuses on the work programme of IMCA’s diving committee.

Technical Adviser – Remote Systems and ROV, Offshore Survey, Digitalisation

Andre joined IMCA in November 2018. He has spent most of the last 18 years working in the ROV industry. This has included time as a Pilot/Technician, Superintendent, ROV Manager and Client Representative.

Andre has a background with the Royal Navy, where he spent 19 years in its Fleet Air Arm working with rotary and fixed wing aircraft. Initially, he completed an apprenticeship in aircraft mechanical engineering, before being trained as an avionics engineer.

When he left the service, after a short time as a technical author with Westland helicopters, he was appointed a Technical Trainer to the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Saudi Air Force.

As well as being a trained ROV Operator and Technician, Andre has a master’s degree in IT from Liverpool University, and is a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Technical Assistant – Diving

Kester Keighley joined IMCA as Technical Assistant – Diving in November 2017, having previously undertaken similar work for the association. He is particularly involved in the review of diving contractor membership applications, as part of our focus upon improving members’ services.

Holding an Honours Degree in Nautical Studies and an MA in Maritime Archaeology, Kester is an experienced saturation diver having worked in the Middle East, the North Sea, West Africa & India. Most recently he has been working as a diving supervisor overseeing wet-bell operations on a large archaeological diving project in the southern sector.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Ali joined IMCA in February 2019 from The Underwater Centre in Fort William, UK where he was the Diver Training Manager.

Ali is a qualified Air and Closed Bell Diver, a Dive Supervisor and highly experienced Diver Medic, having gained extensive experience for over 20 years treating divers both inside and outside the chamber. During his career Ali has assisted the Health & Safety Executive and other authorities in investigating diving accidents and has also been called as an expert witness due to his specialist knowledge of diving techniques and diving medicine.

Experienced in training, assessment and verification as well as dive project planning and risk assessment, Ali’s initial remit on joining IMCA was to ensure that IMCA Training Providers around the world continue to deliver quality training to the offshore diving industry. In September 2019 Ali’s remit was expanded to cover a wider range of diving related activities.

Ali has a passion and a reputation in the diving industry for delivering high quality training to members of the dive team.

Technical Adviser – Diving

Peter joined IMCA’s Diving Team in April 2012, following 14 years at the Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) as a Principle Inspector. Having started as an inspector with HSE, Peter subsequently managed the Southern Diving Inspection Team, looking after the health and safety of divers through inspection and investigation in both the offshore and onshore sectors of diving.

Peter began his diving career in Canada, moving to England in the late 70s. Initially working in Plymouth at a diver training school, his career took him to the commercial sector, which included a research post at University College London and then to Rockwater as the ROV & Inspection Services Manager, which broadened his offshore construction knowledge. Peter has had input to many facets of the diving industry including research, legislation, diver training and project management reinforced throughout by diver safety.

He holds a BA in Technology (Open) and a Post Graduate Diploma and MSc in Occupational Health and Safety (Aston).

Technical Adviser – Diving

Bill Chilton joined IMCA in November 2021 as Technical Adviser – Diving.

He has 25 years of experience in the commercial diving industry. Prior to joining IMCA Bill worked at the UK Health & Safety Executive for 12 years as a Diving Specialist Inspector regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry. During his time at the HSE, Bill also worked as a decommissioning specialist when he was seconded for a period to a team specialising in decommissioning.

Prior to his time at the HSE, Bill worked as an air and saturation diver on a wide range of diving projects.  During this period, he also held a variety of topside positions, including project engineer and project manager.

Bill holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography; an MSc in Marine Resource Management; and an MSc in Decommissioning.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Richard joined IMCA in June 2021 having gained 25 years of experience in the DP related industry.

Richard started his career as a cadet engineer with P&O Containers where he stayed until obtaining his Class 2 Engineering certificate. He then moved into the offshore industry first on seismic survey, followed by pipelayers and then onto DSVs during which time he gained his Class 1 Chief Engineers Certificate.

Richard worked for a number of years at Trinity House Lighthouse Authority and was involved in their new build programme.

Richard came ashore to work for an Aberdeen based DP Consultancy, PML, which was acquired by Noble Denton and then DNV. He spent 13 years as a DP Practitioner producing FMEAs on all types of Dynamically Positioned vessels as well as incident investigations and FMEA analysis on mission critical equipment, specialising in closed bus FMEAs utilising advanced generator protection systems and hybrid battery systems.

Technical Adviser – Marine

Graeme joined IMCA as Technical Adviser, Marine in May 2018 and since then has been involved in developing the DP Accreditation scheme, updating many of the key DP guidance documents, supporting IMCA’s technical seminar programme and implementing IMCA’s quality management system gaining ISO accreditation in late 2018.

Graeme started his career as an electrical engineering apprentice in a papermill before moving into the Marine and Oil & Gas industry. During his 25-year career in oil and gas, Graeme has worked with ABB, Poseidon Maritime, Noble Denton and Germanischer Lloyd in a range of technical and senior management positions. Between 2010 and 2016 Graeme focused on establishing and developing his own marine assurance, consulting and technical recruitment businesses which he sold in late 2016.

Graeme has worked at technical, management and board level during his career primarily focusing on the DP and Marine consulting sector.

Consultant – Marine

Andy has a wealth of experience on a range of dynamically positioned (DP) vessels. He holds Nautical Institute DP certificate number 127 in a world where the certificate numbers are now well past 23,000, so he is well placed to advise on the association’s  DP and Marine Division work load. Andy is supporting our eCMID activities.

Andy’s career began with Texaco Overseas Tankship at 16. He completed a four year cadetship, qualifying as a Third Mate, and during his ten years with the company obtained a class 2 Chief Mate certificate.

Andy spent 17 years on various DP vessels both monohull and semisubmersible (including Semi 1, Semi 2 and Regalia) as a travelling senior DPO. He also captained Rockwater 1 and 2 and the Smit Pioneer working offshore in Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada. Six years ashore in the operations department of Smit International followed; he also worked with Maritime Progress, producers of marine industry training posters, manuals and safety signage.

Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy

Rhys Jones joined IMCA in June 2022 as Technical Adviser for Marine Renewable Energy.

Rhys worked for RenewableUK for 12 years as Head of Technical Affairs with a strong focus on offshore wind, health, safety and wellbeing, and regulatory compliance. Rhys has developed various industry good practice guidance documents for these areas and run many industry committees associated with this.

Prior to joining RenewableUK Rhys worked for Petrofac Training Services as Staff Training Manager Survival & Marine which also brings the added benefit to IMCA of a strong competence and training background.

Consultant – Safety and Security

Nick supports the work of the IMCA Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) Committee. He holds a NEBOSH General Certificate in occupational safety and health, and is responsible for all IMCA Safety Flashes and safety statistics, and for supporting the development of safety promotional material and guidance.

Before joining IMCA in January 2005, Nick had a career as a chief observer or senior survey engineer in offshore seismic survey. Nick has a degree in Physics and Geology and a HNC in Electronics, and started work with Seismograph Service Ltd (SSL) in 1988, continuing to work offshore all over the world with Geco-Prakla and WesternGeco until 2004.

Head of Communications & Marketing

James joins as head of communications and marketing and has around two decades of experience working in a variety of sectors, most recently with membership associations in the UK.  

He was previously head of communications at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) which represents the companies which design, deliver, and manage the UK’s built environment and national infrastructure. Alongside this, he also led activity for its sister organisation, the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) which represents companies working in environmental technology and services.  

Separately, he has held a role as national media manager at the Country, Land and Business Association (CLA), the organisation representing rural businesses in the UK. 

He started his career in the charity sector, with two roles in PR at two UK based charities and has led CSR communications for a global health and wellbeing group. 

Events Consultant

Andrea supports our activities in the areas of marketing, communications and events.

Andrea has worked in oil and gas for most of her career gaining marketing, communications and events experience with Halliburton, McDermott International, Subsea 7 and Acergy. She also has experience working in both Civil Engineering and Defence sectors.

She has spent time working in both corporate and project roles and also spent time working on a freelance basis for a range of clients, including successfully project managing large events such as IMCA’s Annual Seminar in 2018, and many marketing and communications campaigns.

Marketing & Communications Assistant

Mathew Hawley joined IMCA in August 2021 as Marketing & Communications Assistant.

Matthew joined us straight from university after completing a Master of Arts in Media, Culture and Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Culture and Identity. Matthew gained practical experience through internships and work placements in Business, Operations & Marketing and during his studies he put his social media, podcast and video editing skills to good use.

Matthew received an “Outstanding Dissertation” prize on completion of his Masters.

Membership Services Team Lead

Chelsea leads the Membership Services Group, overseeing the team’s activities in membership, publications and certification. She is the main point of contact for all membership related enquiries and leads the membership application and renewal process, manages our database of contacts and the committee election process.

Chelsea joined IMCA straight from university in 2015 having graduated in America Studies.

Membership Services

Part of IMCA’s Membership Services Group, Kayleigh has been responsible for co-ordinating the sales of IMCA’s publications since 2014. Kayleigh’s duties include invoicing, distribution and liaison with printers, as well as dealing with the range of world-wide enquiries which IMCA receives. Kayleigh joined IMCA in June 2012 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator. She assisted the team with various administrative tasks, in particular with publications sales, as well as being the first point of contact on the telephone and for our visitors.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an administrator and receptionist for a college.

Membership Services

Kayleigh’s main focus within the Membership Services Group, is dealing with document administration and a range of activities within the membership, accreditation and certification departments.

Kayleigh joined IMCA in March 2011 as our Receptionist & Office Administrator before moving into our accounts department then in 2015 she joined the membership team focusing on membership administration then on to accreditation and certification.

Kayleigh has a background in customer service, reception and administration; prior to joining IMCA, she was as an audio typist/receptionist for a law costs draftsman.

Membership Services

Lynne sits within our Membership Services Group handling document administration and a range of activities in accreditation and certification.

Lynne Reid joined IMCA in June 2020.

Accounts Co-ordinator

Jill joined us in July 2015 as our Accounts Co-ordinator. Jill has a strong all round bookkeeping background which helps her support IMCA in all things accounting.

Jill has experience as a bookkeeper for a security firm and doing the accounts for a local tennis club.

IT Services & Solutions Specialist

Adam is responsible for the support and continuous improvement of our IT platform, including: the secretariat network; Microsoft 365 services; and the eCMID vessel inspection system. His developer talents include various website and database projects, as well as Dynamics 365/Power Platform, liaising with external developers as required. Adam has been deeply involved in ISO 27001 (information security) and data protection projects and has driven a cloud-first approach for IMCA.

Adam previously worked for IMCA from 1998 to 2010, mainly in the role of Support Services Manager. He spent a number of years as a freelance developer and content producer before returning to IMCA, initially for a website project  in 2016, then in this expanded IT role from late 2017.

IT Services Technician

Ade is the primary point of contact for IT support – for the Secretariat, committee and workgroup members, and users of the eCMID inspection system – in our London offices and remotely.  He also works to maintain and improve our core systems and is actively engaged in project planning and implementation.  He has been particularly involved in: upgrading our collaboration tools, such as adoption of Microsoft Teams, videoconferencing and webinars; Dynamics 365 roll-out; SharePoint modernisation; and data migrations.

Ade joined IMCA in 2019, bringing a wealth of experience of different IT environments to boost our internal capabilities.