IMarEST appoints new co-chairs to the Technical Leadership Board (TLB)

Jennifer Gomez Molina and Tim Kent, the new co-chairs of the Technical Leadership Board (TLB), talk of increased collaboration, knowledge consolidation and a technical strategy that represents its international and multi-generational members.  

1 Could you share your career paths and involvement with the IMarEST?  

Tim Kent: I first worked as a mechanical engineer in heavy industry before joining Lloyd’s Register which is also when I joined the IMarEST. I worked as a design appraisal engineer, a field surveyor in Japan and other roles in business development and strategic planning– and for the past 11 years, I was LR’s technical director. Now I've retired from full time work so I have some spare time on my hands. 

Jennifer Gomez Molina: I graduated with a BSc Ocean & Earth Sciences from the University of Liverpool, and following placements at the British Oceanographic Data Centre and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, I began an entry role at a subsea engineering contractor. I later moved into project management roles within Hydropower R&D and am now working for Vattenfall Wind Power. I joined IMarEST as a student, because Bev McKenzie, who now sits on the Council, left IMarEST leaflets outside my lecture hall in first year and thought it would be a good idea! I joined the Offshore Renewables Special Interest Group (ORSIG) and from there became co-chair and the opportunity came to join the TLB. Now I find myself as TLB co-chair. 

2 How were you appointed to the TLB and what does it mean for you?  

Jennifer: Already a member of the TLB, I was encouraged by those who’ve seen my support of the IMarEST throughout my career. They recognised my ongoing commitment to the Institute and how I’ve been willing to contribute and support the Institute facilitating and chairing meetings and webinars and supporting conferences.  

Tim: My story's a little bit different. As I was retiring and might have a bit of time to get more involved with the Institute, I was asked if I would like to step into this role that was becoming vacant. I've been conscious that during my career there hasn't been that much time to contribute to professional engineering institutes. So, this is a real opportunity, almost post career, to do what I should have done years ago. 

3 What does the TLB do and who does it interact with it inside the IMarEST and beyond? 

Tim: The first task, as requested by the Council, is to review the TLB terms of reference. The headline item, which I don't think will change, is to plan and lead on the overall technical strategy for the Institute. At our first TLB meeting on 10 October we began to share some detail on how we might do that.  

Jennifer: Once we deliver our technical strategy and report to Council, we're looking forward to collaborating with the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and receiving support from the executive - we've great rapport with them. Our ambition is to further our thought leadership on current and emerging trends with regards to marine environment, science and technology; and oversee the technical outputs of the SIGs and their working groups and be proactive in identifying opportunities to undertake technical activities. We also wish to include the whole membership - we're really fortunate to have a global membership so it's an opportunity to be as inclusive as possible. We also plan to support the branches with their technical programmes. Exciting times! We are going to have our work cut out!  

Tim: The TLB, working with the Special Interest Groups, can provide the focus for consolidated knowledge for the benefit of all the membership. We'll be focusing our efforts on some of the big challenges facing the industry, such as those highlighted in the IMarEST’s Industry Challenges report. We are absolutely dependent on members’ knowledge and it's through them that we'll get some useful output not through our own efforts. We can just marshal it – but also bearing in mind that everybody taking part in these activities is a volunteer. 

IMarEST’s Challenges in the Marine Industry: 2023 and beyond

4 How will you work together as co-chairs? 

Jennifer: The first thing that comes to mind is 'by being creative' given the fact that Tim is semi-retired and I'm on the maternity leave. It's about using this hybrid way of working to come together and collaborate whilst benefiting from each other's insight and experience.  

Tim: We're lucky to have technology to work together remotely. That said, the first TLB meeting under our joint co-chairmanship was a hybrid arrangement – with most members joining remotely but having the option to join face-to-face at the IMarEST HQ. 

5 What have you identified as your vision for the TLB? 

Tim: Helping members benefit from their membership. We can help aggregate members’ knowledge to better understand industry challenges and help members promote good outcomes in terms of environmental impact and the ongoing safety of operations, in a commercially viable and sustainable way.  

Jennifer: Members range from students all the way up to fellows; we should be mindful that each can learn from the other and facilitate ways to collate that pool of knowledge. I also want to see how we can incorporate sustainability and Net Zero into our technical agenda. I am a big promoter of diversity, equality and inclusion so aim to ensure what we do is representative of our international and multi-generational membership. 

6 Any advice for members who'd like to become more involved in the IMarEST but don't know how?  

Jennifer: Reach out to the SIGs to learn and engage with like-minded professionals. Attend branch meetings and conferences if you can to meet fellow members. I remember introducing myself at the IMarEST stand at an Oceanology conference a while back. Not only was it nice to put faces to the names in IMarEST emails, I was able to learn about CPD opportunities and acquire contacts to collaborate with. 

Jennifer Gomez Molina and Tim Kent have replaced Katharine Palmer and Jon Holloway as co-chairs of the TLB.  

Jennifer Gomez Molina and Tim Kent were in conversation with Pamela Cahill. 

IMarEST members can participate in a wide range of activities at branch and SIG level as well as technical leadership. Not yet a member of the IMarEST? Join here.