Mike Fearn

SUT Chair, Vice-President, & Vice-President of Bluefield Geoservices Ltd

With nearly 30 years in the subsea industry, Mike Fearn is an expert in geotechnical site investigations across offshore and onshore projects worldwide. Starting his career in the mid 1990s in logistics and sales for the Oil & Gas sector, he quickly advanced to roles in project management and engineering support at Viking Moorings. Mike’s passion for offshore geotechnics led him to specialize further at Gardline, expanding services into environmental and geophysical domains. For over a decade in the Geomarine sector, now Vice-President of Bluefield Geoservices Ltd, Mike has driven innovations in data acquisition, managed deep sea mining projects in the Pacific, and overseen offshore wind developments in the UK, as well as projects in the USA and Africa while also leading R&D, commercial, and business development initiatives. Mike is also Chair of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT).

Andrew Blears

Elevate Offshore, Managing Director

After initially planning an offshore career, Andrew embarked on agency work with Seistech and began to build a team. Following its acquisition by Atlas Professionals, he was eventually promoted to UK Operations Director, responsible for the survey, ROV, and seismic supply offices. He later relocated to Singapore, where he was inspired to establish Elevate Offshore in 2020 – and in the process, create an agency that does things differently. Andrew has overall responsibility for the commercial strategy and direction of the company but most enjoys being involved in day-to-day operations, meeting people, and delivering on their expectations.

Andy Woolgar

Senior Vice President - Project Delivery Subsea 7

Andy Woolgar has 40 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry. Andy graduated from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (Cardiff) in 1986 and started his career with Brown and Root in London as a Graduate Engineer. Andy has since undertaken various Global and Regional roles through technical, project, corporate and commercial disciplines within the offshore construction industry. Throughout his career, Andy has lived and worked in many countries across Europe as well as China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Australia and the USA. Upon his return to London from Australia as Vice President Australia and New Zealand, Andy completed a 5-year role as Vice President Group HSSEQ and moved into his current role as Senior Vice President for Project Delivery based in London. He brings with him his extensive offshore experience in Pipelay, Heavy Lifting, Diving, Landfalls, SURF and worldwide Project Management of EPCI and conventional Projects. During his career, Andy has dedicated his time and energy in the support of the industry. Andy was the president of IMCA for 2 years (from 2011 to 2013), was Chairman of Pipeline Industries Guild for Scotland (2009 to 2011), was the chairman of Offshore Project Safe in Australia (2015 to 2016) and sat on the Senior Leadership Group for Safer Together.

Dr Christian Katlein

Specialist in Underwater Robotics, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Sea ice physicist & Under-ice Robotics. Born in Marburg a.d. Lahn in Germany in 1986 and raised next to the beautiful Blackforest close to Freiburg. After my studies in Astrophysics and Geophysics at the Universities of Tübingen and Svalbard (UNIS), i moved to Bremen to complete my degree in physics at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven.

I finished my PhD about the transmission of light through Arctic sea ice using under-ice robotics at Jacobs University Bremen and AWI, where I was later working as postdoctoral researcher for the FRAM and MOSAiC projects with a short stint at the Université Laval in Québec city. Currently I am part of the scientific technical committee for the rebuild of the new German research icebreaker Polarstern 2, where I am responsible for the ship’s underwater robotics and scientific equipment as well as for the technology infrastructure program MUSE of the Helmholtz-Society.

Emma Butterwick

Environmental Coordinator, EPI Group

Emma Butterwick, EPI’s Environmental Coordinator, has been with EPI for a year supporting both renewables and oil and gas projects. She holds a master’s degree in marine environmental management, from the University of Exeter, where her research focused on the impacts of noise pollution on seagrass habitats.

Kelly Bancroft

Crewing Manager, Gardline Limited

Kelly Bancroft has nearly 20 years of experience in the offshore industry. Kelly graduated from the University of Cardiff in 2004 and started her career with Gardline Limited, working offshore as a trainee Hydrographic Surveyor. Kelly worked at various locations across the globe for 8 years working her way up to the position of Surveyor In Charge. Kelly wanted to take a break from working away and settle into an onshore position. She was lucky enough to be offered a position as deputy survey manager, line-managing the offshore surveyors and undertaking some of the survey department's reporting. She moved to a Project Management role following this and took on the new challenge of managing clients and projects. She was subsequently promoted to Crewing Manager in 2023 and is now responsible for a team of 10 office personnel and 220 offshore personnel. During her career, Kelly has dedicated her time and energy to promoting working offshore as a career option available for women.

Kate McCubbin

Senior Manager Subsea Robotics - Survey (EMEA & Asia), Oceaneering

From her degree in Topograhic Science from the University of Glasgow, Kate’s career has been one which has taken her core disciplines: land and hydrographic surveying, cartography, geodesy, photogrammetry into industry to her current position as Senior Manager Subsea Robotics - Survey (EMEA & Asia) with Oceaneering. Along the way to her current position, Kate has served at DOF Subsea as a Project Manager, with roles in surveying and vessels that have included both UK and Norwegian responsibilities and engagement.

Kate is also a member of IMCA’s Offshore Survey Committee.