Society of Maritime Industries Management and Staff Team
Tom Chant
Chief Executive Officer
Tom has a long association with the marine industry having been an active sailor and student of boatbuilding in Southampton. His career has encompassed a wide range of market sectors and he has gathered experience of business development, marketing and distribution in an international business environment. A nine year period at the trade body for the leisure and superyacht sector was committed to developing the members’ export business. This included running UK pavilions at overseas shows, management of inward and outward missions including Meet-the-Buyer events, plus the creation of market reports and representation on government committees. Recent career experience included distributor management for a marine equipment company before he joined SMI in February 2017 as the Business Development Director and Secretary to the Commercial Marine Group and Marine Science & Technology Group. Tom was appointed Chief Executive of the SMI in August 2020.
Captain Tim Currass BEng(Hons) MSc MA Royal Navy
Programme Director, Secretary to the Maritime Defence & Security Group (MDSG) Council and Digital Technology Group (DTG) Council
Tim, a Royal Navy Engineer for 33 years, has had a long and varied career serving in Her Majesty’s Ships INVINCIBLE, COVENTRY, KENT, YORK and OCEAN as well as a variety of shore appointments including the Government Communication Headquarters, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment and Support and Navy Command Headquarters. As a Captain he was programme manager for the Common Support Model programme in Defence Equipment and Support, transforming support for the Royal Navy’s complex warships including integrating the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers and Type 45 Destroyers into the Surface Ship Support Alliance and most recently as Navy Command’s lead for the National Shipbuilding Strategy. He started in the Society of Maritime Industries in November 2019 as Programme Director and Secretary to the Maritime Defence & Security Group (MDSG) Council and Maritime Autonomous Systems Group (MASG) Council.
Emma Johnson MSc
Business Development Director, Secretary to the Marine Science and Technology Group (MSTG) Council and Maritime Autonomous Systems Group (MASG) Council
Emma has a BSc in Marine Biology and an MSc in Marine and Aquatic Biology from the University of Portsmouth. During the MSc a range of topics from Aquaculture to Subtidal Marine Ecology were covered. For her dissertation she worked with MDL Marinas and Blue Marine Foundation on the native oyster restoration project. For the last 3 years she has specialised in sales and marketing of Maritime products in particular compliance monitoring of wash water from exhaust gas scrubber systems and ballast water discharge. During this time, she worked closely with international agents and customers as well as representing the company at conferences, exhibitions and in presentations and panel debates.
Helen Stephen
Business Development Director, Secretary to the Commercial Marine Group (CMG) Council and Ports & Terminals Group (PTG) Council
As a business development specialist within maritime publishing and events, Helen has a 15-year background in the international tug, towage, salvage and OSV sector. In her previous role, Helen held board level responsibilities at a globally renowned event organiser and publisher focused on bringing the major tug and salvage players together via industry leading conventions and technical conferences. Helen has represented her company at industry association level and attended more than 110 industry events at major maritime hubs and some of the busiest container shipping port locations around the world. Helen has developed an extensive network across the international supply chain and specialises in cultivating long term relationships, creating opportunities to collaborate and build valuable partnerships that fuel growth and trade. Helen was appointed to Society of Maritime Industries in June 2021 as Business Development Director and Secretary to the Commercial Marine Group (CMG) Council and Ports & Terminals Group (PTG) Council.
Giorgio Buttironi
Policy and Research Manager at SMI and Maritime UK
Giorgio first came to the UK in 2007 and graduated with a BA in Medieval History from the University of Winchester three years later. After his undergrad he received an MA in International Relations from Durham University in 2011 and an MSc in European Politics at the London School of Economics. Giorgio has been working as a policy and public affairs specialist for trade federations across a number of industries, ranging from construction through to further education and financial services, since 2015. During this time, he has worked closely with government departments, parliamentarians, and members of various sector bodies to influence decision-making and policy in an effective manner.
Samantha Hayer
Office Manager & Finance Administrator
Samantha is responsible for the day to day running of SMI. She works closely with the CEO and the Company Accountant. She joined SMI in 2021 having worked in the legal sector for over 3 years, at a top set of barrister chambers, as an Operations Executive.
She is a member at the Institute of Directors and The College of Psychic Studies.
Chen Li Ming
China Manager (Based in Shanghai)
Chen Li Ming is a naval architect and for 13 years worked for Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) before moving to Shanghai Edward Shipbuilding Co Ltd. In 1995 Chen (as he is known to his friends) became an independent consultant and has been associated with the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) and its predecessor organisation since that time. He has an excellent track record in introducing companies to the Chinese market and the credentials to be able to “open doors” with Chinese companies and government organisations in the maritime sector.
News
Uncrewed vessel returns from first volcano caldera survey in Tonga loaded with ‘astounding’ data
SEA-KIT International’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer has returned from an initial survey mission inside the caldera of the Hunga- Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HT–HH) volcano carrying a plethora of data and imagery to fill important gaps in current…
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Sign Up NowSMM - Leading International Maritime Trade Fair
When it comes to meeting up with all the leading protagonists of the global maritime industry, there’s no place like SMM, one of the leading international maritime trade fairs. It’s here...Smart Sound Plymouth Seminar
Gain an insight into what exciting projects the Smart Sound Plymouth are working on and get an update on their Wolfson Foundation funding. This Seminar will be followed by a networking lunch with the...Digital Twins in the Marine Science and Technology Sector
Gain an insight into Digital Twins, their benefits and more specifically uses within marine science and technology. This Seminar will be followed by a networking lunch with the Marine Science and...Member Networking Lunch
Join the SMI Board and the SMI team for a Member Networking Lunch on Thursday 6th October at 12:15 at the Little Ship Club. This will be a brilliant chance to connect and network with fellow...EURONAVAL 2022
EURONAVAL 2022, the biennial International Naval Defence & Maritime Exhibition and Conference, will take place from 18 to 21 October 2022 at the Le Bourget Exhibition and Conference centre in...Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase 2022
The aim of MATS 2022 is to explore the information needs of users of Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS), review the current technologies available to enable the data gathering for MAS users and explore...Annual Dinner 2022
The Society of Maritime Industries Annual Dinner will be held on Thursday 24th November 2022 at Drapers' Hall, Throgmorton Avenue, EC2N 2DQ.ExpoNaval 2022
UK Defence & Security Exports (UK DSE) is organising the UK Pavilion at the forthcoming ExpoNaval at the Passenger Terminal, Port of Valparaiso, 29 November – 02 December 2022.Oceanology International Americas 2023
The Oceanology International Americas event offers a leading forum where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the North, Central and South American marine science and...Sea Asia 2023
Widely recognised as Asia’s anchor maritime and offshore event, Sea Asia 2023 will return to Singapore for its 9th edition, from 25 to 27 April 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention...Indonesia Maritime Expo (IME)
Indonesia Maritime Expo (IME) is the most anticipated international event in Indonesia for the world’s maritime players, showcasing the latest in marine, workboat & offshore engineering and...
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Sign Up NowMarine Autonomy Challenge (MAChallenge)
This exciting challenge is open to teams of students studying at UK universities. The first phase involves a video submission and the finals take place in November this year. Each qualifying team will be provided with an industry simulator to enable them to build the autonomous behaviours required to achieve a series of challenges.
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