Commodore (Retired) Ian Groom, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, spent 38 years in the Royal Navy having joined from school.

With varied career encompassing both sea and shore appointments, he was Hd of Marine Engineering onboard HMS NOTTINGHAM and HMS BULWARK, as well as serving as Staff Marine Engineering Officer for Flag Officer Sea Training and fulfilling the role of Fleet Marine Engineer in NCHQ.

On promotion to Captain, Ian joined HMS Prince of Wales as the Senior Naval Officer in May 2016 where he sought to embed the lessons from HMS Queen Elizabeth build, before assuming the role of Client Director and Platform Authority for HMS Prince of Wales in 2018 – overseeing the build and ultimately the acceptance of the vessel in to service.

Ian was promoted to Commodore in September 2020, with his final 4 years in service as the Defence Maritime Regulator, where he led on developing the route to registration for defence

maritime autonomous vessels. He joined Safeguard Engineering Ltd as a Principal Consultant in September 24.