Governance

I have been a standing member for over 3 years of the Education & Training Committee and also the Professional & Technical Committee. HCMM Ambassador to London Southern District Sea Cadets and an HCMM ships guide since early 2015. For the Wellington Trust I volunteer as a Master Mariner Instructor & Exhibition Supervisor. 

I served 10 years at sea as a Deck Officer with BP Tanker Co. and obtained my FG Masters Certificate aged 27. I then got promoted Chief Officer two weeks after my Masters Certificate. Also, while with BP, I trained as a pump Engineer. Came ashore to rescue a distant relatives Industrial Rubber Company which was trading insolvent. 18 months after joining, I was promoted to Sales Director and then within four years, the Company was back in profit. Nine years later promoted to MD and served 25 years. I eventually sold the Company with a Turnover of £2.4 million. 

My interests and hobbies include: naval history; encouraging the young to take up a career in seafaring; sailing; skiing and; classic cars.

I joined the Education & Training and Technical Committees in 2015, progressed to be a Liveryman and became a Court Assistant in 2016 and was elected as Warden in 2019, I am an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and also act as mentor to an associate recently qualified as OOW. 

At sea 1970 - 1988 with a major tanker company and latterly with various management agencies, I spent almost 25 years as a freelance consultant and surveyor in the offshore oil & gas industries and presently work as Marine Manager for an expanding marine and engineering consultancy in London, largely engaged in the renewable energy sector.

Born on Tyneside I lived for many years in Yorkshire but am now happily settled in Suffolk with my wife Val, I am involved with our local church and also like to turn my hand to practical projects large and small, recently construction of a kit car and latterly smaller scale modelling along with an interest in various aspects of nautical and aviation history.

Since 2013 I have been Vice Chairman of the Membership Committee, member and Trustee of the HCMM & HLD Charity Committee and Finance & Risk Committee. Additionally, since 2016 I have been on the Chartership Registration Authority and Regulations Drafting Sub Committee. I am a mentor on the HCMM Mentoring Scheme and also represent the HCMM as Chair of Governors at George Green’s School and Foundation Trustee of The George Green’s School Trust Fund.

Born and brought up in Canada, I went to Royal Military College of Canada graduating in 1978 with a BChemEng(Nuc) degree. I spent 10 years in the RCN and 14 in the RN becoming a Command Qualified Submariner before retiring in 1997. Following my seatime, I served 3 years in the Port of Southampton and 20 years as a director and consultant in the marine industry in the City. I am currently Chairman of Margaret Black and a Director of the London Shipping Law Centre.

I am a Younger Brother of Trinity House, Chairman of the South East Regional Grant Committee of the Trinity House Maritime Charity & represent Trinity House as a Trustee on the Tower Hill Trust. Further to this, I act as a Trustee of Greenwich Sea Cadets and am a Vice-President of Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets. Alongside my HCMM membership, I am a Liveryman of the WC of Shipwrights and Past Chairman of London Branch NI, and ICPEM.  I am also Treasurer of Navy Lodge and a member of 14 other Masonic units.

Twitter:

@LesChapman76

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-chapman-5587101

Having found a home for my many and varied interests, and many a kindred spirit to share those interests with, I got involved in the Education & Training Committee, the Technical Committee and Mentoring of Apprentices and Cadets.   In September 2015, the Clerk invited me to apply my Commercial and Legal knowledge to the seemingly impossible task of creating a Chartered Master Mariner (CMMar) programme.  Given the legal, technical, and inter-organisational complexities and the number and scope of organisations that had to be consulted and accommodated - which included the Shrieval Courts and Privy Council, Chartership took up 3 years of my life and involved a huge amount of work and industry, but it did prove successful.   During this period, I stood for and was elected as a Court Advisor.  in 2020, I was elected as Warden of the Honourable Company and, in that role, I have been involved in supporting and creating the Young Officer's Committee (YOC), and working to support, preserve and prepare the Company for the future during the Covid pandemic.

My maritime career started with washing dishes on a paddle-steamer during summer holidays from School.  I learned that there was no substitute for hard-work and learning.  This has been my philosophy throughout a career that now extends over 45 years.  During that time, I have served aboard Tankers (of all description, including Crude, Chemical, and Product), Bulk Carriers, Ro-ro's - both deep-sea and in the coastal trades.  For several years I worked in the Offshore Oil and Gas industry,  quickly rising to Barge Master, Tow-master, OIM and Marine Superintendent.   I left the oil industry to become a pilot, which had been a desire ever since I first learned what Pilots did.  I am now Senior Pilot for the Manchester Ship Canal - a position that allowed me to pursue my other passion of learning and study.  Over the last 15 years, I have gained a law degree, a Master's in Business Administration, several Charterships and Fellowships and have developed my own Company that provides advice, support and consultancy services to the maritime industry.   I have not plan to slow down any time in the near future and my interests are changing with the tide of the maritime industry.  My current fields of learning include expert-witness and determination work, Artificial Intelligence and Ship Automation developments.

Over the last year of Global pandemic and national lockdowns, the needs, protection, and development of HCMM have drawn heavily on my time. My personal interests and hobbies are probably as eclectic as everything else in my life.   I keep fit, practice yoga, cycle, walk, hill-climb, read (when I can), swim and am a member (and Secretary) of my local sailing club where I also provide regular safety-boat cover.   My wife - who has supported me tremendously in my Career, Study and HCMM pathway, has recently discovered that I used to paint and is trying to encourage me back into that more genteel pastime.  That said, the garage exterior needs painting and my sailing boat (a modern version of the 1927 design 'Post Boat') needs anti-fouling and pre-season servicing before going back on the water.

I was trained at HMS Conway before joining Canadian Pacific as a marine engineer Cadet. My career took a sharp change in course when I joined Railway, Mine and Plantation Ltd whose offices were at Imperial House, Dominion Street in the Square Mile - an ever so colonial company. Here I learnt my trade in sales and marketing using my engineering knowledge adapted to railways and mining, this entailed extensive travel in Africa when communications was still fairly rudimentary. I am now the proprietor and chairman of the Holdtrade Group of Companies which carries on the business of trading in Africa and provides engineering for light, narrow gauge, industrial and heritage railways.

As an Old Conway I chair the Conway Merchant Navy Trust which provides scholarships for MN officer Cadetships; the Trust is currently sponsoring 10 Cadets through University to OOW. I am also a Trustee of the HMS Conway Trust which is a benevolent charity.

I am very proud to be the chair of Greenwich, Deptford and Rotherhithe Sea Cadets which has is its premises in the Old Royal Navy College. With a strength of nearly 40 we are very a small but well respected Unit, in extremely historic and prestigious surroundings, providing training and opportunity to many youngsters from the area who otherwise would have little experience of the maritime world.

My other areas of interests and memberships include: Member of Nautical Institute; Anchorites; TSS; Propeller Club; Naval Club; Conway Club; London Rowing Club and RAC. I am also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights.

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-burrow-484b28b/