Board Members

David first went to sea in 1962 with Shell Tankers UK Ltd as a Navigation Cadet. He sailed with the company worldwide as a Navigation Officer until he qualified as Master in 1973. From 1973 until 1979 he worked for the Southampton-based Red Funnel Group as Chief Officer, Master and Hydrofoil Commander before moving to the north-east to become a pilot in Sunderland, gaining a full first class licence in 1982. He moved south again at the end of 1985 to continue as a pilot in Teignmouth and added additional pilot duties for Dartmouth in 1994. He became the Dartmouth Harbour Master in January 2005 and continues to be the senior pilot for the port.

Email: hm@dartharbour.org.uk

Neil Hockaday was first appointed to the Board in late 2001 and became Chairman at the meeting held in April 2010. His career has been spent in the banking industry in London, Europe, the US and the Far East. More recently he was the Finance Director of a start up pharmaceutical company in Bristol, but retired in 2008. He was also a joint owner of a leisure business near Brixham. He is a member of the Royal Dart Yacht Club and he keeps a boat in Brixham. His expertise on the Authority is in financial matters and he has assisted the Authority with developing financial reporting mechanisms, the preparation of capital plans and with pension matters. He is a Trustee of the Authorities Pension Scheme.

John (Jan) was first appointed to the board in January 2009. He was born and brought up in Dartmouth and always had a close interest in the river in his early years. His career was spent in the shipping and he was Master with a diverse international shipping company and also Port Captain of a major freight terminal on the River Thames. Latterly he was involved in shipping management. He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House. In retirement he has been closely involved as a Trustee in an International NGO working for the prevention of disabilities. He is currently Vice Chairman of Blackawton Parish Council and has a particular interest in environmental matters.

Mike was appointed to the Board in December 2007. He first developed his interest in the sea when he attended the London Nautical School! He later spent 25 years in the information technology world, in various sales and marketing roles. In 1991 he founded his own company, and it was at this point that he entered the off-shore IT business, making over 100 trips to India. He developed the company into a £35 million business before it was acquired by a global software company. He continued to hold executive director responsibilities in the company until 2004 and still works as a consultant to the industry.

Mike and his family moved to Cornworthy, from Bristol, in 2003. Mike is totally at home on the river. He enjoys taking his boat out, and is an active member of the canoe section of Dartmouth Yacht Club.

Simon was first appointed to the Board in 2005. Simon has been working on the River Dart for over 25 years and is a director of Baltic Wharf Ltd. He has experience of commercial boat enterprises, is a keen sailor and has owned boats all his life. He also enjoys Hobie Cat racing in Cornwall and in 2006 completed the Two Handed Round Britain and Ireland Race. Simon held the post of Chairman from January 2007 until March 2010.

Ernest was first appointed to the Board in 2003 and was appointed as Vice Chairman in January 2007. He was brought up in Scotland and attended college in Glasgow and in Brighton. His career has been spent in the food industry and he has recently retired as a Personal Business Advisor for Business Link for Devon. His primary leisure activity is sailing, he is a member of the Royal Dart Yacht Club and he keeps his boat on the River Dart. He lives in Buckland Tout Saints where he is Chairman of the Parish Council. He is also a member of various committees, promoting economic development in the South West. His particular expertise and interest for the Board are communications, marketing, economic development and leisure sailing.

Joe was first appointed to the Board in January 2010. A keen sailor he has kept a boat on the River Dart since 1996 and is currently living aboard his boat on the river while house hunting for a property in Dartmouth. Joe owns a local business, The Dartmouth Canvas Factory, and is also Vice Chairman of the Dartmouth Chamber of Trade and Businesses. Until recently Joe worked for the DHNA as a river officer specializing in the refurbishment and maintenance of the fleet of work boats.

Photo to follow

Trevor was appointed to the Board in December 2008. Originally from a naval family based in Portsmouth, he graduated from London University with a degree in Biology and after qualifying as a chartered accountant spent all of his working life with BP plc in a number of different financial roles. He was posted overseas to Abu Dhabi and Tanzania and for the last 4 years prior to retirement in 2007 was the general manager of a large corporate accounting team with varied global responsibilities. After many years of visiting the south west, Trevor and his wife moved to Dittisham in early 2008 to enjoy the coastal scenery and limitless walking potential of the region, together with the local golf courses.

Sue was first apointed to the Board in 2005. She was born and brought up in Scotland and represented both Scotland and the UK at fencing. After moving to the south west, she started sailing in a voluntary capacity helping out with Somerset Schools Sailing Association while working as a lecturer in further education. After holding several posts in charge of leisure, tourism, hospitality and catering, she worked in higher education writing a degree in health and fitness. She is a part owner of a Cobra 850 kept on the Dart and used for cruising.

John was first appointed to the Board in 2002 and until December 2006 was Vice-Chairman. He was brought up in Scotland and moved to London in the 1960s. He has had a boat on the River Dart since the 1960s. A professional metallurgist, his career was spent in Higher Education first as an academic and consultant specialising in structural failure analysis and later as a senior administrator. He now lives permanently in Dittisham. His particular interests on the Board are health & safety, personnel matters and the Moorings’ Policy.