Meet some of the Team

What’s your role at ITOPF, what can you tell me about the work you and your team do?

I am a Technical Support Coordinator at ITOPF. My role is broadly to enable the delivery of ITOPF’s key technical services, primarily through provision of technical support within the Technical Team, which includes claims work and providing advice on pollution response resources.

Before you joined ITOPF, what did you do?

Before joining ITOPF in November 2022, I studied for my MSc degree in Environmental Hazards at Cardiff University. My research assessed the potential impacts of future oil spills along the coast of the Irish Sea, a busy, yet poorly studied part of NW Europe. This is where ITOPF’s online resources proved to be invaluable.

What attracted you to the company and your role?

I came across ITOPF’s Technical Information Papers (TIPs) during my research and this was my first introduction to the company. From there, the company appealed to me because it is one of the few organisations that combines my interests in environmental science, risk management and the modelling, mapping, and monitoring of oil spills. 

As I explored more of its website, I found a careers page in which the role for Technical Support Coordinator was advertised – and the rest is history!

What has your career been like at ITOPF since joining?

Since joining, I’ve been exposed to a wealth of knowledge, communicated to me through regular internal and external training sessions and the experience of my colleagues.

I have created and updated some of the technical resources on ITOPF’s website, which has been great to contribute to some of the same resources I used during my studies.

After throwing myself into claims assessment work, I now understand no day is the same at ITOPF, every pollution event is unique and presents its own set of complexities, accompanied with new lessons learnt. 

What highlights have you enjoyed so far?

I’ve had the opportunity to travel internationally with ITOPF already, allowing me to gain a hands-on experience with all the technical aspects that contribute to a claims assessment.

Additionally, the trip strengthened my understanding of the shipping industry and allowed me to engage with local correspondents and surveyors, giving me greater insight into the challenges and solutions of claims assessment work.

What’s next for you at ITOPF and what are you excited to work on?

I’ll continue to work on updating online resources, such as the Country Profiles. These profiles are full of important information on local authorities and spill responders in many countries which we, and other industry stakeholders use. I will also continue my claims assessment work, which encompasses a large proportion of my daily workload.

I’m most looking forwards to assisting with modelling, mapping, and monitoring work, as well as attending some upcoming training courses.

What’s your role at ITOPF, what can you tell me about the work you and your team do?

I joined ITOPF over 17 years ago and have progressed through a number of new roles within the organisation. As the Information Communications Manager in the Senior Management team, I lead a cross-functional team in digital, geospatial, data, information, technology, and communications, reporting to the Managing Director. The team's goal is to develop, maintain, and innovate our digital and communication services so that ITOPF can effectively operate our core services from any location.

Before you joined ITOPF, what did you do?

Prior to joining ITOPF, I worked in the Space department at QinetiQ, a multinational defence technology company, focusing on satellite image processing, feature extraction, and developing algorithms for high resolution optical and SAR data. Prior to that, I worked as a physical oceanography research assistant at the National Oceanography Centre as part of the Argo international project, studying the Agulhas Current and got to spend over a month at sea.

What attracted you to the company and your role?

I studied Physics with Satellite Technology at university and after working at the National Oceanography Centre and QinetiQ, my interest in protecting our oceans and how satellite imagery could help had grown. I saw an exciting job advertisement for a 'Technical Support Coordinator' to join a small not-for-profit company in London to use satellite imagery and geographic information systems, which allowed me to use some of the skills I had developed for a positive impact without the constraints that commercial organisations frequently face.

What highlights have you enjoyed so far?

Over the years, I've worked on some incredible innovative projects, travelled a little, and met some wonderful people. It's exciting to know that my scientific and technical knowledge is valued for such an important purpose as assisting in the protection of the environment in cases of accidental pollution. The ability to push the technology to see how it can best support our mission is the key highlight.

What’s next for you at ITOPF and what are you excited to work on?

We are in the fourth industrial revolution, which is allowing us to automate processes and rethink how we can best create and add value in a technology-driven world. We are developing our spatial data and GIS systems to enhance the Common Operating Platforms, working with real-time data, and ensuring our IT infrastructure is cloud-based, mobile, reliable, and accessible anywhere while maintaining our cyber security. We are working hard to keep ITOPF on the cutting edge of the technologically savvy world and I’m looking forward to the number of projects in the pipeline.

What’s your favourite line from a movie?

“Just because something works, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved”

What’s your role at ITOPF, what can you tell me about the work you and your team do?

I am the Senior Membership Secretary, myself and our team are responsible for maintaining our Membership database, liaising with our key stakeholders, P&I Insurers, brokers and ship managers.

We also issue the Membership Record Forms, which is kept on board all ITOPF member tankers confirming their membership status with us.

A large part of my role is ensuring our Members and tankers are of good standing and not in breach of sanctions or operating under false flags.

Before you joined ITOPF, what did you do?

Before joining ITOPF, I worked in the membership department at the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) for 8 years, as the Assistant Membership Manager. This included maintaining Membership and enrolling new members for professional recognition through different grades of membership and achieving chartered registration.

During my time here I also worked in the Marine industry for Marine Engineers, Scientists and Technologist, making sure academic and work experience qualifications were met to achieve chartership. I worked with the Membership Committee and guided applicants on where to focus their efforts to meet the standards required.

What attracted you to the company and your role?

While seeking new opportunities, I came across roles similar to my experience but felt the need to diversify my talents by taking on the role of membership at ITOPF. Dealing with shipowners and marine industry stakeholders appealed to me and my career aspirations.

What has your career been like at ITOPF since joining?

I have been able to understand how membership of tankers functions, including the changing landscape of how P&I Clubs insure tankers, bulk carriers and other vessel types. Through my understanding I’ve been able to highlight gaps in processes we can improve on, and I’ve been able to implement these changes.

Renewing tankers can come with challenges, making sure the details of our members are up to date which may change throughout the year. This includes ship ownerships, broker changes, Gross Tonnage changes and to flags.

What’s next for you at ITOPF and what are you excited to work on?

We’re embarking on the rollout of a new membership database, where I’ve been focusing on creating a software which suits the needs of ITOPF, improving our agility in renewing and maintaining Memberships.

Recently, I’ve been able to travel and speak with P&I Club underwriters on the role of ITOPF to create a better understanding between us, to ensure a continual improvement of our working relationship