News - 23/12/14

A major management re-structure of Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) has been completed with the objective being to provide a more streamlined and focused management team.

Capt. Stuart McIntosh, together with the Harbour Commissioners, has worked long and hard to formulate an appropriate management structure to take the business of Cowes Harbour into the next decade. Stuart explains that, “more authority is being delegated to the Team Leaders that are dealing directly with our customers and this ensures that we can continue to build on the delivery of quality and good value harbour and marine services for the marine customers of Cowes and the Solent.”

As part of the restructure, CHC is delighted to announce the appointment of the new Marine Services Manager, Barney Sollars who takes up this new position in February.

CHC has also made three internal promotions to kick-start 2010 with three new Team Leaders being announced as:

Kingston Marine Services, Boatyard Services – Jon Lucas
Marine Service Contracts – Darren Gough
Mooring Services – Barry Watkins

These new appointments combined with the appointment made at the end of last year of Theresa Dunford as Financial Administrator, and the promotion of Anne Ballingall to Marine Services Administrator, sees all the main elements of the new management structure in place.

Introducing Barney Sollars – Marine Services Manager
Barney brings 20+ years of experience to the newly created post of Marine Services Manager, including management, new build commissioning, round the world racing and yacht construction.

He joins CHC from Oyster Marine in Ipswich where he was Commissioning Manager, having worked in commissioning at Oyster for almost a decade. His previous experience includes project managing the Times Clipper 2000 fleet to race start, racing a 60 ft yacht around the world to 4th place in Clipper 98, maintaining and sailing the Thames Sailing Barge ‘May’ through five busy seasons and working aboard large yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Barney will take day-to-day responsibility for managing all Cowes Harbour Commission’s marine services, catering to the needs of yachtsmen and marine customers of Cowes Harbour and the Solent. It is a demanding ‘hands on’ position within an integrated management team.

Asked what he thinks he can bring to this newly created position, Barney responded,“I love Cowes and have been a regular visitor to the harbour since I left the Island in 1986. This is a great post that plays to my strengths of working with small and medium sized teams across a range of familiar disciplines. It combines a balance of strategy and planning with hands-on outdoor activity. I look forward to joining an established and successful management team in exciting dynamic times.”