Meet our speakers
My name is Eric Annand I have been with Subsea7 for 21 years in various Project and Operational roles which include Project Management, Project and Operations, Business Unit Director, Project and Corporate HSSEQ roles. Prior to this I was a Marine Engineer for almost 20 years serving in the Royal Navy then working as a Chief Engineer on Merchant Navy Vessels, AHTS, Supply Vessels and large tankers. Having been involved in an Industrial accident 25 years ago I studied and passed successfully the Nebosh National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals. I am currently working as Group Health and Safety Director and have been a Director for all HSEQ components over the last 4 years sharing my time between the Aberdeen and Sutton Offices. In my spare time I enjoy travelling reading, hillwalking and nothing pleases more than spending good quality time with my close family and friends who I love dearly and am very lucky to have in my life.
Heather Beach is founder and CEO of Healthy Work Company, delivering tailored wellbeing strategies and training programmes to businesses globally. Having started work in compliance information for health and safety professionals, she has 30 years’ experience at senior level in Health & Safety.
Healthy Work Company boasts a stellar list of over 200 blue chip clients from both offshore – Seadrill, Fugro, SBM and other industries including Carlsberg, CBRE, Eurotunnel.
Heather is author of a handbook for managers I'm a boss, not a shrink: a practical guide to manager wellbeing conversions.
As single mum to Rosie, Heather tries hard to practice what she preaches when it comes to wellbeing – and isn’t perfect!
Margaret is a qualified maritime lawyer and chemical scientist who holds chartered status with the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem) and the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH) in the UK.
She has over 20 years’ experience in shipping and 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. She has worked as a senior safety and environmental specialist, and as an expert adviser on several high-profile maritime incidents.
Margaret leads our work at the IMO where she represents IMCA and our Members.
Debbi is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Cyan Renewables, where she leads Sustainability, HSEQ, ICT, Supply Chain, and Office Facilities Management across the company’s global operations. Cyan Renewables operates key hubs in Perth, Singapore, Taiwan, and Aberdeen.
She holds a Master of Business Administration and is Chair of the International Maritime Contractors Association (IMCA) HSS Core Committee. Debbi is also a member of the IMCA Asia Pacific Regional Committee.
Oessur is a maritime safety and quality professional with a background as a seafarer, bringing first-hand operational experience into his work ashore. He has extensive experience in ship operations, accident investigation, and regulatory compliance, including service as a flag State surveyor and previously Head of the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board. As Global Quality Lead at Svitzer, he is responsible for developing and implementing harmonised global standards across safety, navigation, and quality assurance. He works closely with regional and local teams worldwide, supporting complex operations in varied regulatory and environmental contexts, and is a strong advocate of Just Culture, modern safety science
Nick worked full time for IMCA from 2005 until 2022, in a variety of roles including looking after Health and Safety, Environmental Sustainability, Offshore Survey, Remote Systems and ROV, Marine Security, and Competence and Training. Today as a part-time contractor he is responsible for all IMCA Safety Flashes and safety statistics, and for supporting the development of safety promotional material and related guidance.
Before joining IMCA he had a career as a chief observer and senior survey engineer working all over the world in marine seismic survey.
Francesco started his career in 2005 after graduating in environmental science and a European course in HSEQ. He joined Saipem in 2008 working, mainly abroad, on projects until 2014.
Returning to in Europe in 2017, he was promoted to Group Environmental Manager moving to Paris in 2019 as offshore HSE Overseas.
In 2021, Francesco retuned to Italy as Head of HSEQ offshore and in 2023 he was promoted HSEQ for offshore and drilling BL.
Recently Francesco was the Head of Saipem HSEQ Core Operations and in 2025 he was promoted Saipem’s Head of HSE.
Ellie heads up Vanguard’s Intelligence department and the team of analysts, overseeing products and directives which ensure timely identification, coordination, and response to both current and future client risks. Ellie is responsible for delivering expert risk analysis; creating new products to meet the ever-changing needs of clients; ensuring the Digital Platform is continuously populated with diverse risk datasets; and guaranteeing accurate and reliable intelligence reporting across the team. She also leads Vanguard’s crisis response function, directing real-time operational support during maritime security crises, political detentions, kidnap-for-ransom cases, and other high-risk events affecting clients.
Prior to joining Vanguard, Ellie has extensive experience working for several leading companies in the risk management sector, including those with a focus on maritime. She has practice of working on active kidnap-for-ransom and political detention crises and has produced analysis and bespoke written pieces for a wide range of countries in North and West Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Ellie holds an MA in Intelligence and Security from the University of Leicester and a BA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of Birmingham.