Maritime design, engineering, science and risk-management organisation BMT has appointed Catriona Savage to the newly created role of Global Technical Director.
The role brings together BMT’s innovation, technical capability and assurance under a single, globally aligned remit, at a moment of rapid change for the industries BMT serves. The appointment comes as a convergence of pressures reshapes the maritime landscape: tightening international decarbonisation deadlines, the rapid maturing of autonomous and uncrewed systems, the arrival of artificial intelligence and digital twins in ship design, mounting cyber risk, geopolitical shifts placing shipping, ports and ocean resources under strain, and a worldwide resurgence in naval and undersea investment. For an organisation whose heritage stretches back more than four decades, and whose technical fingerprints range from the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class carriers to the marine monitoring systems supporting Woodfibre LNG in Canada, set to be the world’s first net-zero LNG export facility, and predictive dredging technology helping keep ports across the Asia-Pacific open, safe and sustainable, the creation of the role is a deliberate move to align technical excellence across the business and translate it into sharper value for customers.
A fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the first female president of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), Savage began her career at BMT in 1996 and rose to Head of Naval Architecture and Technical Director, before holding the UK Ministry of Defence Chair in Naval Architecture at UCL where she continues to hold an honorary professorship. In a voluntary capacity she contributes to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Lloyd’s Register as a member of advisory committees.
Savage said: “I wouldn’t have come back if BMT wasn’t a great place to work. The value we bring to customers isn’t just what we do, it’s how we do it. It’s the way we work alongside customers, challenge their thinking and focus on solving the right problem, not just the one in front of us. That willingness to be provocative in the right way is a genuine strength, and it’s what brings people to BMT.”
BMT remains independent and employee-owned, its assets held in beneficial ownership, a structure Savage credits with sustaining the long-horizon thinking and freedom to innovate that the most complex engineering challenges demand. Looking ahead, Savage sees clear ground where BMT can lead energy resilience and sustainability among other innovatory technologies.
Savage added: “Our customers operate in risk-sensitive environments, so assurance will always matter, but that shouldn’t limit us, it should enable us to take the right risks in the right way. The opportunity ahead is as much about people as it is about technology: ensuring we have the skills, the mindset and the capability to adapt and lead. If it does, we lean into it. If it doesn’t, we stop doing it. Ours is the generation facing challenges like decarbonisation and autonomy. We don’t have all the solutions yet, but one thing is clear: collaboration will be key.”
Sarah Kenny, BMT CEO, said: “Cat is one of the most respected technical leaders in our industry, and her return to lead this new global function speaks volumes about both her and BMT. As the maritime and defence sectors face their most demanding period of change in a generation, bringing our technical capability together under a single, globally aligned vision will help us continue to deliver trusted, innovative solutions for our customers, today and for the long term.”
Image: Catriona Savage, BMT Global Technical Director (source: BMT)
