Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE has been chosen as the next chief executive officer (CEO) of Maritime UK, the umbrella body for the maritime sector in the United Kingdom.
In the early summer, he will move from Mersey Maritime, the regional cluster organisation for the maritime industry and wider supply chain in the Liverpool City Region and the greater North West, to Maritime UK.
Chris Shirling-Rooke is the current CEO of Mersey Maritime. He has been in that position since 2013 and has led a small professional team whose role is to support members’ business growth, highlight the sector’s breadth and diversity, and strengthen local supply chains by building relationships with companies of all sizes – from ports and global shipping lines to engineering firms and innovative start-ups.
He was appointed MBE in 2021 for services to maritime.
Chris Shirling-Rooke commented, “It is an incredible honour for me to take on this new position and to build on the fantastic work already delivered by the Maritime UK team on behalf of its members, stakeholders and the industry as whole. Major overarching challenges face our sector which supports over 1 million jobs, contributes over £46bn to our economy and is responsible for facilitating 95% of UK global trade.”
He added, “Our response to climate change and how we influence the delivery of key initiatives such as the Clean Maritime Plan, due to be published later this year, will be a major focus as well as ensuring we maximise the opportunity presented by London International Shipping Week in September to showcase our dynamic industry to the whole world.”
