WORK BOAT WORLD:
Svitzer has appointed Eduardo Beser as Managing Director for its Brazil operations, succeeding Daniel Reedtz Cohen, who now serves as the Managing Director for Svitzer Americas, based in Panama City.
In his new role, Beser will lead Svitzer’s operations in Brazil, focusing on strengthening service delivery, supporting customers’ evolving needs, and advancing the company’s strategic growth ambitions in the region.
Beser holds an MSc in Engineering and an MBA, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the shipping industry across commercial, operational, and executive leadership roles.
Teledyne Technologies has promoted Gregoire Outters to President of the Teledyne Marine Group. In this role, he will continue to lead the group’s maritime businesses in the digital imaging segment and will assume responsibility for Teledyne's Marine businesses in the instrumentation segment, effective immediately.
Outters has more than 23 years of experience in thermal imaging and 13 years in the maritime industry. He joined Cedip Infrared Systems in Paris in 2003, where he progressed into senior leadership roles and later served as General Manager following FLIR Systems's 2008 acquisition of Cedip.
In 2013, Outters relocated to the UK to lead the Raymarine business of FLIR and continued to serve in that leadership role following Teledyne's 2021 acquisition of FLIR. Most recently, he has served as the Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Maritime businesses in Teledyne's digital imaging segment.
Anthony Hamilton has been selected to serve as the new Vice President of Engineering and Product Development at the Thomson-Gordon Group (TGG), parent company of Thordon Bearings.
Hamilton has led TGG’s engineering and new product development efforts as Technical Director since 2021.
Thordon Bearings has meanwhile appointed Martin Linder as its new Merchant Fleet Marine Business Development Manager, Northern Europe.
Based in Onsala, near Gothenburg, Sweden, Linder has spent his entire career in the maritime sector, developing relationships with shipowners and fleet managers across Europe and Asia. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and brings extensive experience from marine sector OEMs involved in both water treatment and propulsion.
Norfolk, Virginia-based Colonna’s Shipyard (CSI) has appointed Brian Waterfield to serve as its new Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he will oversee the company’s accounting function and support enterprise financial strategy, bringing deep experience in financial auditing and advisory work, particularly within the government contracting sector.
Waterfield joins CSI after more than nine years with Binder Dijker Otte, most recently serving as an Assurance Director in the firm’s Norfolk office. In that role, he advised middle-market organisations across multiple industries, with a primary focus on government contracting, non-profit organisations, and construction, and led engagement teams delivering financial statement audits and reviews.
He also regularly advised executive leadership and boards on internal controls, emerging accounting standards, industry trends, and financial analysis.
Waterfield holds a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the College of William and Mary and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has selected Christian Ortego to become Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) Vice President and Chief Counsel effective April 1, 2026.
Ortego joined NNS from HII’s Mission Technologies division, where he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In his new role, he will provide legal advice and counsel to senior management and have responsibility for overseeing and coordinating the provision of legal advice to NNS.
Before joining HII in 2013, Ortego worked in private practice and at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC. He is also a US Navy veteran.
Ortego holds a Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law, a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College, and a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University.
Seaspan has promoted Leo Martin to the role of Chief Operating Officer of Vancouver Shipyards, effective April 20, 2026, taking on management responsibility for ship construction from concept design to delivery.
Martin has been part of the senior leadership team at Seaspan Shipyards since 2018 and brings two decades of experience in program management and supply chain leadership roles across the UK and Canada.
After joining Seaspan in 2018, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Programs in September 2023, overseeing both coast guard and navy programs. Before joining Seaspan, he spent more than 10 years in the defence industry with BAE Systems’ naval ships division, supporting the delivery of Type 45 destroyers and the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to the UK Royal Navy.
The Saudi Red Sea Authority has selected Dr Maryam Ali Ficociello to be its new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 22, 2026.
Ficociello brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning governance, risk management, resilience, and compliance across public and private sectors, including state-owned entities. Most recently, she served as the Group Chief Governance Officer at Red Sea Global, where she led the governance, risk, and compliance division.
She was a founding member and secretary of the executive committee for the Oversight of the Sustainability of the Red Sea. She has also represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at international forums and led the Saudi Ocean 20 delegation to the G20.
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has appointed Rob Loder as its new Chief Inspector. He replaces Andrew Moll, who retired in early March after 21 years’ service at the MAIB.
Loder brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked as an engineer officer on board oil tankers, cable ships, ferries and superyachts before moving into fleet management, ship repair and project management.
After training in heavy engineering ashore, Loder joined the merchant navy and served as an able seaman and motorman while completing a rating to officer conversion course. Upon qualifying, he was promoted to engineer officer and later attained the rank of chief engineer.
He then moved into fleet management and then into ship repair, ship build supervision and project management. After a period of consultancy to the marine industry, he joined the MAIB in 2020 as an inspector, progressing to principal inspector and then deputy chief inspector before taking up his current role.
Loder is a chartered engineer, marine engineer, and a fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
Todd Andrews has been designated as the new Commissioner of Australian volunteer rescue organisation Marine Rescue NSW.
Following his prior career in finance and international business, Andrews joined Marine Rescue NSW in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner Corporate Services in September 2021 and has served as Acting Commissioner since September 2025.
Andrews’ tenure as Marine Rescue NSW’s Commissioner officially began on March 2, 2026.
Peep Jalakas has been appointed as the new Chairman of the management board of Estonian ferry operator Tallink Grupp effective April 6, 2026. He takes over the post from Margus Schults, who has stepped down and will continue working with Tallink as head of the Finnish unit.
Jalakas has been a member of the Management Board of SEB Pank and Head of Corporate Banking since 2023. Over the past 20 years, he has held various roles at the bank and has led, among other things, the corporate client and credit department teams.
SHIP WORLD:
The Port of Aberdeen in the UK has appointed Jennifer Heiton as Chief Financial Officer, effective May 11, 2026. She joins from Trojan Energy, where she has served as CFO since 2023.
Prior to working at Trojan Energy, she served as CFO at Ardyne Technologies, a well abandonment and decommissioning specialist, and spent 18 years at Piper Sandler in the latter’s energy advisory team.
Heiton is a qualified accountant with 23 years of experience and a track record spanning financial leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and operational improvement.
The Port of Portland in Oregon has selected Alissa Mahar to serve as its new Chief Financial Officer. Her first day in the role will be April 14, 2026.
Most recently, Mahar served as CFO and Vice President for Business and Finance at Seattle Pacific University. She led institutional financial strategy, multi-year forecasting, long-range capital planning, and enterprise operations. Prior to this role, she held senior financial leadership positions with the University of Washington, Clackamas Community College, and the City of Portland.
Mahar has also guided enterprise risk management and major systems implementations.
The Greater Houston Port Bureau (GHPB) board of directors has promoted Corrina Ott to the position of Vice President, effective April 1, 2026.
Ott joined GHPB in April 2025 and has been responsible for managing the bureau’s efficiency and dredging committees as well as maintaining the bureau’s links with industry and federal partners. Additionally, she provides support for the Houston Ship Channel Security District and the Marine Exchange of Texas.
Ott served as the Texas City Branch Director during Hurricane Harvey, responsible for coordinating efforts to reopen the ports of Galveston, Texas City, and Freeport. She also served as the Operations Section Chief during the Hurricane Beryl response.
Ott holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Charter Oak State College, a master’s degree in organisational leadership from the American Military University, and a certified professional designation through the Society for Human Resource Management.
Gateway Terminals Savannah (GTS) has appointed Bryan Blalock as its new President effective April 13, 2026.
Blalock will succeed the current President of GTS, Kevin Price, who will transition to the leadership team of GTS parent company Georgia Ports Authority as the newly announced President on July 1, 2026.
Blalock joins from CMC where he was the COO, covering over 60 operations with 1,900 employees. He brings a 35-year career of optimising business processes, strategic planning and innovative solutions in the port terminal industry.
FISHING BOAT WORLD:
The board of the UK Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has appointed Elysia McCaffrey as its next Chief Executive Officer.
McCaffrey will join MMO from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), where she is currently Chief Executive. She will take up her post on April 1, 2026.
With more than twenty years’ experience across the public and civil service, McCaffrey held senior roles in the Government Equalities Office and the Cabinet Office before becoming Chief Executive of the GLAA.
