Lennard-Senior Prize Nominees – 2023

The Lennard-Senior prize is awarded to an individual in recognition of outstanding individual achievement in the field of Marine Renewable Energy.

The Nominees for the 2023 Lennard-Senior Prize are: Norma Hogan, Jason Hayman, Stephen Salter, and Michael Bullock. Information about each nominee is below.

Please vote for your nominee on the form below. You can do this anonymously if you wish.

Voting has now closed.

Your Nominees

Norma Hogan – Highlands and Island Enterprise

Norma Hogan works for Highlands and Islands Enterprise and has supported the Wave and Tidal sector for 15 years.  Never on the front line, in the headlines, or appreciated.  Until now.  She is the person working behind the scenes to support decision-making, grant funding requests, and keeping policy direction on track to support a sector that she believes and knows will be transformational for the UK, Scotland, and specifically the Highlands and Islands region.

Her role has covered infrastructure, supply chain, specific technology, and project development.  She knows all the developers, people within Government and is a trusted advisor and confidant to all.

Without people like Norma, working constantly to steer the ship, the commercialisation of nascent sectors would not happen.

Thank you Norma for all you do.

Jason Hayman – Sustainable Marine Energy

As MD of Sustainable Marine Energy Jason has pioneered the at-scale testing of their floating tidal device in Canada. This came after a lot of work in the UK and a trial in a Scottish Loch. In addition, they have also designed and patented a sub-sea drill that drills micro-piles for anchoring and set that up in a separate company. They also have commissioned and operate a shallow water construction support vessel in Canada. Jason has led all these developments from the front and this deserves recognition for his combination of technical and commercial expertise. I am pleased to nominate him for the Lennard-Senior prize as I’m sure from knowing them personally, both of those Gentlemen after whom it is named would approve Jason’s nomination.

Emeritus Professor Stephen Salter

If it wasn’t for him and for the Salter Duck where would this sector be? Taken from Edinburgh University page: https://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/about/people/prof-stephen-salter Stephen Hugh Salter is Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Edinburgh and inventor of the eponymous Salter duck wave energy device. Salter is also a proponent of geoengineering and is responsible for creating the concept of the mechanical enhancement of clouds to achieve cloud reflectivity enhancement. The wide tank at the University of Edinburgh — a novel design and invention by Stephen Salter, built in 1977 — was the world’s first multi-directional wave tank equipped with absorbing wavemakers. Feedback control systems on the wave-making flaps were used for the absorption of reflected waves, propagating along the water surface of the tank interior towards the 89 flaps. Salter was appointed MBE in the 2004 Birthday Honours for services to engineering. In 2012 he received the Royal Academy of Engineering Sustained Achievement Award.

Michael Bullock – Renewable Risk Advisers Ltd

As founder director of Renewable Risk Advisers Ltd, Michael Bullock inspired and sponsored the thought leadership behind the proposed Ocean Energy Accelerator (OEA): https://interregtiger.com/download/tiger-report-the-ocean-energy-accelerator/ The above linked OEA report is the culmination of several years of work which originated at the former Ocean Energy Forum. Much of the early work was ‘pro bono’ and all contracted work was won under competitive tender. Seeking to bridge the gap between ‘insurability’ and ‘bankability’, the OEA has attracted interest from project developers and potential public funders across the UK nations and further afield. Many of the potential project developer beneficiaries are longstanding clients of Renewable Risk, and their appreciation of what is ‘not insurable’ under current market conditions has informed their motivation to engage. ORE Catapult will continue to aid the OEA on its journey towards enabling tidal stream and wave power projects reach commercial scale.

Michael’s other career highlights include:

  • 20 years of insurance broking experience in the London and Bermudian insurance markets, including as one of the founder-directors of a Lloyd’s Broker and Chartered Insurance Practitioner
  • Drove the establishment of the first specialist renewable energy underwriting unit in Lloyd’s, Ascot Renewco
  • Served as Commercial Director of SeaRoc, an offshore wind, wave and tidal engineering consultancy, including the provision of financial risks consulting to developers
  • Served as Head of Financial Risk Mitigation for a commercialisation offshoot of the UK’s National Renewable Energy Centre
  • Presented to academia and industry on the risks associated with various phases of renewable energy projects
  • Was on the former advisory committee of Wave Energy Scotland Ltd and on the finance steering committee of the former Ocean Energy Forum
  • Authored a report on the insurability of floating offshore wind for the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult) Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence (FOW CoE)

Michael’s consulting and insurance broking clients (including some major multinational enterprises) have included a wide variety of developers, utilities, technology manufacturers, transmission and distribution line and refinery operators, across the energy sector. Michael has a Master’s Degree in Finance from the London Business School.