Inside the Secretariat  with  Adam Hugo, IT Services & Solutions Specialist

When did you join IMCA?

I first joined in 1998 and spent over 11 years with the association in admin, IT and support services management.  I re-joined the modern IMCA in 2016 as a website developer, then permanently as lead of a new IT Services team in 2017.

What do you do within IMCA?

The IT Services team provides and supports the platforms that facilitate all our other activities.  We plan and manage the devices, networks and online services used by the secretariat, committees and workgroups, and the wider membership.  From hardware setup through Office, Teams and SharePoint to the website, eCMID and CPD systems, we empower our colleagues and stakeholders to achieve more.  And we keep data secure for IMCA, our members and other stakeholders – that’s what we’re most passionate about, and our ISO 27001 accreditation is an important demonstration of our commitment.

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Adam Hugo
IT Services & Solutions Specialist
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A significant part of my role is digital transformation – identifying and implementing opportunities to improve our systems and services.  This ranges from minor text/visual tweaks, database/interface modifications and automation flows to full platform replacement, such as the implementation of Dynamics 365, which is being put to ever better use through expansion and integration with other systems.

I’m also a legacy database in human form on all manner of topics, given my long service and how I’ve worked in just about every non-technical area at some point.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Ever changing, but I can vaguely see a path to where I am now – initially a baker, but interested in that as a business more than the baking itself, then getting more interested in finance and economics, before moving into data and IT just as the internet was becoming super important. My logical mind fits well with improving systems and processes.

What’s the best thing about working for IMCA?

Even as the smallest cog in the process, it’s being a part of the Safety Flash system and other safety initiatives. The fact that my work on databases and distribution systems helps to make sure truly life-saving information gets to the people who need to see it so that an incident can be avoided makes it all worth coming to work for.

The second best thing is some of the people we get to work with – those who brighten every day in the office (or at the end of a Teams call), but also the range of stories and perspectives we hear from across the industry – I’ve never been offshore, so it’s fascinating to learn about.

What do you do in your spare time?

You can’t stop my interest with technology, so I spend a fair amount of time with my devices and IT news feeds, but other than that I’m an F1 fan and watch far too much TV.

What’s the biggest change you have seen in IMCA since you joined?

I can’t pick one thing – it’s almost unrecognisable – and to say ‘digitalisation’ would miss out a huge number of other things.  When I first joined there were four full-time staff, with two of us sorting different pieces of paper into mail sacks for sending around the world (but mostly the UK and Europe), handwritten accounts ledgers and one seminar outside the UK each year. Everything has changed except our mission – that we were, are and will be dedicated to supporting our members and improving offshore safety.

What are you most excited for IMCA in the future?

The unknown “what’s next”.  We’ve been busy creating the foundations for a more integrated, efficient and effective IT platform.  We’re already seeing the fruit of these labours in terms of better member access to services, simpler work processes and vastly improved data analysis; and we still have more improvements in mind.  However, our digital transformation programme will continue and, as IMCA itself changes to reflect tomorrow’s marine contracting sector, I’m excited about what else we’ll be able to do that we haven’t even thought of yet.

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