Poole Harbour Commissioners are delighted to welcome Professor Bob Cripps as their new Chairman.
Bob Cripps has been on the board of PHC for 7 years, serving as the Vice Chairman at the Port of Poole for the last 3 years. He is a Director of Longitude Consulting Engineering part of London Offshore Consultants (LOC), established in 1979 to offer independent, high-quality marine and engineering consultancy to the shipping and offshore industries.
Bob is a Naval Architect by profession and he is well-known for his work in the design and development of small craft and the use of composite materials in marine applications. This was recognised with the award of an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from Bournemouth University in 2005.
To add to his impressive maritime experience, during his 18 years as Engineering Manager at the RNLI Bob was instrumental in developing the current generation of lifeboats namely, Severn, Trent, Tamar and Atlantic 85 class lifeboat.
Commenting on his appointment, Bob Cripps said: “I am delighted and honoured to take up the position of Chairman of Poole Harbour Commissioners and I look forward to working with the Chief Executive and his team in continuing the great work that Mike started with regards to the Port Master Plan”
Supporting Bob Cripps in his role as Chairman and taking the position of Vice Chairman is David Norman. David, a Master Mariner who runs his own marine consultancy was first appointed to the Board of Commissioners in 2013.
Jim Stewart, Chief Executive of Poole Harbour Commissioners, said: “I would like to congratulate both Bob and David on their new positions on the Board. Having had the pleasure of working with them both for a number of years, I know their wealth of experience and expertise will continue to prove invaluable in helping PHC to successfully deliver our Master Plan.”
Professor Bob Cripps succeeds Mike Mitchell who, in stepping down from the post of Chairman after 3 years will be drawing a close on his active involvement in the delivery of the Port of Poole’s Master Plan. This has included the completion of the £10m South Quay project, said to be the largest port development seen on the South Coast in recent years, enabling the Port to compete across a much wider range of shipping and marine activities.