Vice-Chancellor receives Maritime Ambassadors Award

Almost 500 guests attended the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs) ceremony. Held at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium, the event was hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin, with accolades handed out to the very best performers in the sector.

On presenting the Maritime Ambassador's Award, Chris Wainwright, Managing Director of Beech Group, who sponsor the Award said: “The Maritime Ambassadors Award is a very special award made to an individual who, in the opinion of the judging panel, has made an outstanding contribution to the maritime sector, over the course of their career. During his time as Vice-Chancellor, Nigel has ensured that LJMU’s reputation as one of the oldest nautical institutions in the UK has not only been upheld but uplifted. In realising the value of the maritime sector, LJMU, under Nigel’s leadership, has dedicated millions of pounds of investment into state-of–the-art simulators for maritime training, enabling the Department of Maritime and Mechanical Engineering to innovate and lead in research and development and find new ways to inspire the next generation of maritime professionals.”

Chris continued: “Nigel is also a key architect of the University’s relationship with Mersey Maritime, and together with partners Wirral Council and Peel Ports, he is committed to helping the region achieve its ambitions for the second phase of the Maritime Knowledge Hub, returning the North West to once again be a truly global maritime centre.”

On accepting his Award, Professor Weatherill said: “I am totally and utterly surprised by this award and it has left me somewhat speechless. It is an enormous privilege to lead the team at the University and to be connected to other teams across the Liverpool city region. I work with a fantastic group of people.”

Maritime UK brings together the UK’s shipping, ports, services, engineering and leisure marine industries to promote the sector, influence government and drive growth. Mersey Maritime joined Maritime UK in 2017 and since then has been spearheading the organisation’s work in developing a network of regional maritime hubs. The agreement will help Mersey Maritime to further support the national sector, which employs around 1m people and is annually worth £40bn.

Previous winners of the Maritime Ambassador's Award include Ian Higby, Managing Director of ACL and Angie Redhead, who at the time was Head of Cruise Operations for Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

For further details and full list of award winners visit the Mersey Maritime webpage