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.

Qualifications & previous experience

My background before joining ITOPF was mainly focused on the environment and chemistry. In general, it was very varied from doing fieldwork on remote Scottish islands for genetics research on wild sheep to synthesizing pharmaceutical chemicals in industrial laboratories in Switzerland. Immediately prior I was finishing up my atmospheric chemistry PhD at the University of Cambridge, honing my technical and analytical skills.

Why did you apply for the job?

The Technical Adviser role appealed massively to me as it encompassed all the aspects of previous roles that I had enjoyed most. Here was a job where I could tackle real world problems with scientific rigour to effect real change, which for me carried some moral satisfaction. I have always enjoyed the social aspects of my jobs and at ITOPF, the teamworking really appealed as well as the social and diplomatic challenges of dealing with a vast array of cultures and stakeholders under emergency circumstances. The opportunity to travel and experience the world in such a unique way also drew me to the job.

What sort of things have you been doing since joining ITOPF?

Well, as I had hoped, no two days are the same and I never know what new challenges will come my way. I have attended incidents in Brazil, Scotland and, most recently, Mauritius which have all been extremely effective introductions to spill response! Internally, I developed training for the team on chemical fingerprinting of oil and have been involved in the internal HNS working group.

Any surprises?

The biggest surprise for me really was the level of importance that you are propelled to when attending a spill. One day you are in the office preparing training presentations, the next day you could be in a high-energy meeting with some of the top government officials of a new country to discuss emergency measures to protect the environment.

What has been the highlight so far?

The biggest highlight for me so far has been the satisfaction of seeing my advice being followed in key moments of decision making in spill response and seeing the immediate result. An example of this was advising response personnel during an overflight along the Brazilian coast that clean-up of oil near a river inlet should be prioritised to prevent it from washing into a mangrove area and seeing clean-up teams there the next day.

What are you looking forward to in the job?

The unpredictability of this job means you never know where you may find yourself next. I am looking forward to the next call!

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