Yacht Club went some way towards this, but I decided to branch out alone and set up my own marine surveying business.
The main lesson from LR, which has stood me in good stead, was that communication, systems and processes are extremely important even in a micro business, and that everyone learns and works differently. The pseudo MBA LR Management Development Program I undertook also gave me a good grounding in running a business, which I use both in my own company and with my IIMS management board involvement.
Q3. What is your proudest moment as a marine surveyor and why?
A. I am always proud when I can contribute to marine surveying organisations, whether the IIMS or others. I have been involved on committees at various levels from committee member to association president. I have been involved with the IIMS, YDSA, RYA and British Marine as a representative. I am always proud to be allowed to have the chance to give something back and attempt to positively steer the organisation forward.
Q4. Technology is changing at a fast pace, particularly with the onslaught of AI (artificial intelligence). Marine surveyors are not immune to this change. What are your views on how a surveyor should embrace these developments both in terms of acquiring new knowledge but also adapting working practices?
A. AI is developing, but right now needs to be used with a great deal of care. The same principles apply to AI as applied in the 1990s to increasing processor speeds; in that a lot of checking and thought is needed to get something accurate and sensible out of the systems. Whatever happens, I think that the physical aspects of the job will continue, but that careful use of AI will help speed things up and accelerate some of the more tedious parts of the job. It is already frightening what it comes up with though; ask it to generate a basic survey report for a given type of boat, and it will! And it is better than a lot of the reports that
I have previously seen sent in for assessment. We are at an interesting juncture in technology. We will have new surveyors who over-embrace it and more established ones who under-embrace it. I think some clear guidance will be needed as to how best it can be used for all aspects of the surveyor’s job: marketing, sales, accounting, surveying, report writing, checking, and client relations.
Q5. We seem to talk endlessly about where the next generation of marine surveyors will come from for the career seems less appealing than it used to be. As you look back over your career, what has given you most satisfaction and what can you say to spark enthusiasm for those who are considering entering the surveying profession.
A. When I left university, I followed the traditional path of finding a job in a corporate firm and working my way up the ladder. I now think that
144 | ISSUE 109 | SEP 2024 | THE REPORT
setting up my own company has been a great move forward, and I am happy that I did so. I don’t think we will have a problem with the next generation of surveyors, because the younger generations still want to go boating, but the ownership model they prefer is completely different to previous generations. They want experiences, not ownership. So, the interest in boats will always be there, but the types of work will be changing from purchase work to more coding-type work. A good reference if people want to know about the different approaches from the generations is found in a piece of work carried out a few years ago by British Marine, which was referred to as the “Futures project”.
The challenge however will always be the interaction with customers. This is as critical as the technical side. Delivering bad news in a way that is understood and appreciated whether doing coding surveys, or condition surveys, is always a real satisfaction. Seeing the realisation of what needs
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