Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A. I’ve been married to Shelagh for 30 years, she’s an ex-primary school teacher; and now she’s incredibly committed to fitness, rowing and tennis. My son Henry, 24, is a Lieutenant in the Royal Welsh and my other son James, 29, is a professional rugby player (and works in finance) in Hong Kong. My wife’s family is all from the Haverfordwest area, and Pembrokeshire has always felt like a home from home. My primary residence is down here in Milford Haven, and we have a home just outside Monmouth. We to and fro between the two.
Q. What attracted you to the role of Chief Executive at the Port of Milford Haven?
A. Pembrokeshire did. I’ve got strong family connections here as my wife grew up in Haverfordwest and we have been coming here for family holidays for a long time. But more than that, the variety of the role and the fact that the Trust Port message comes through so loud and clear to me. I am really excited about serving as the custodian and leader of this position, but also about how we can bring opportunity to the communities around the Haven Waterway. I will admit, this wasn’t part of my grand plan. I didn’t have one! I didn’t ever envisage myself as the CEO of a Port Authority, but we are so much more than that here at the Port of Milford Haven. This is a lifestyle, a vocation, not just a job. The positive impact we have on current and future generations across our community is not something you are able to achieve in many jobs.
Q. What is your career background?
A. I started out as an Assistant Lighthouse Keeper in North East Scotland. I then went on to serve 26 years in the Royal Air Force where my job was to help protect and project air power. After this, I spent 8 years at QinetiQ, and then 3 years in BQ Solutions in Qatar doing defence, security and intelligence consulting, R&D and experimentation, and now I am here!
Q. What opportunities and challenges are you most excited about at the Port?
A. Transforming the Haven into a major Green Energy player, whilst ensuring that we keep large volumes of LNG and other hydrocarbons moving during the transition period. The move to renewable energy is a multi-billion-pound opportunity for South-West Wales. We have always been a Haven that has adapted and it's important that we ready ourselves for the Green Energy Epoch.
I also have a lot of excitement about what we can do with Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock. They are hubs of heritage, culture and leisure – great places to live! We need to connect these with the communities up and down the Haven – to make sure that we can all can draw benefits from the Waterway.
Q. Where are your favourite places to visit in Pembrokeshire?
A. Abereiddy (but closely followed by Newgale, by the rock pools at the Nolton Haven end) – whether it be jumping, walking, having a cuppa – it’s the perfect spot. You also have the beach which is great for body boarding! It’s my favourite place, not just in Pembrokeshire but in the world. I also love walking the coast path, those secret little coves where you can jump in and have a swim and a look around. My family had a tradition when my kids were younger to make sure our arrivals were timed with the tides. High tides = wetsuits at Little Haven! The “grownups” would order chips while the rest of us would jump in and create a big family float back in! One year there must have been 25 of us. My brother in law has a campsite above Little Haven so we would go and sit by the campfire and enjoy the company and the view afterwards.
Q. Do you have any specific hobbies or interests?
A. Current affairs, history. I really like listening to podcasts. They suit me while I am driving all over the place. The gym is where I get my sanity and my ideas – ‘achieving mindfulness through the mindless’. The people at Milford leisure centre are very tolerant of the amount of sweat I produce……it’s disgusting. I also just love being in and around the Haven, I really love it. I’m now a passionate champion of Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and our Waterway communities.
Q. What was the last book you read/podcast you listened to?
A. The last podcast I listened to was Empire – which is about the fall of the British Empire in India. I really enjoy The Rest is Politics with Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart. And I’ve just started listening to Modo and Redefining Energy to get my head around green energy. The last book I read was called Surrounded by Idiots!!
Q. What was the last film you watched?
A. The new 2022 version of All Quiet On The Western Front, 2022- very good.
Q. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A. Wherever my boys are. I spent a lot of time away from them when in the services. It’s not so much about the place, it’s the people you are with. COVID separated us and we’ve got lots of things to catch up on.
Q. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
A. I would have loved to have been at Live Aid; for Queen’s set – I could have been but didn’t go and I have regretted it ever since.
Q. Where is your favourite place to go for lunch?
A. I love the Sugar Loaf Bakery scotch eggs, closely followed by their sausage roll with built in pickle badness.
Q. What were the eye openers in the first six months?
A. I lived in the hotel for the first three months. I loved the people, the food, the environment. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I feel very proud of the hotel. I love meeting everyone, for some reason everyone is nice to me – I’m sure in 5 years’ time I will still be meeting people for the first time, which is great. I love going out on the pilot boats – chatting, enjoying the Waterway, getting to see what the Marine teams do and how they do it. I love the graft and dedication of our Port Services teams in the Marina and at Pembroke Port, and I love the can-do attitude of everyone across our business, I love speaking on behalf of the Port. I am very proud of what we do and very excited about what we will be doing. I loved the annual stakeholder meeting and parliamentary committees. I love talking about our business. I love how everyone in our business is part of a fabulous story with a strong future. So I guess the eye-opener is how quickly and deeply this business and this place got under my skin and into my heart.
I loved the carnival! Being introduced to 23 people in the kebab queue on Charles Street was great fun in my first few weeks here. You become part of the community very quickly here – it is such a lovely warm welcoming place.
I also like to pretend that I dislike anything associated with Narberth because I met someone in my first week here who was rude about Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, and they came from Narberth. So I’m now determined to make Milford Haven the new Narberth, with more twig, fairy light and smelly candle shops.
Q. What sort of place do you want this to be to work?
A. Safe – absolutely number 1. A place where people feel physically safe but also that they are able to flourish mentally and know that their broader wellbeing in terms of their physical and mental health is absolutely a priority for the business and one that we invest in and support. I am a middled aged ex-military man and I freely admit that I struggle with my mental health from time to time and I think it is really important that people feel comfortable talking about that. Sometimes for me that can result in irritation, low spirits, and dark thoughts. The importance of a safety first environment is that you recognise that people’s mental state is a key contributor to a safe working environment; and you talk about it.
It is really important that people find time in their working day for themselves, but also if things are getting too much for them, they know that they can reach out. We have a serious job to do, and we need to deliver that safely and effectively. I’m keen that we all find some time for fun and enjoyment. We work in a beautiful part of the country, and we should enjoy this place as much as we can. I want people to feel they can be themselves at work, and feel that they don’t have to put on pretence. They can challenge, it is expected – challenge makes our processes better and provided we do that in a polite and respectful way, we will all go home safe and happy.