Portsmouth: Dryad Maritime appoints first chair

The UK’s leading maritime intelligence provider Dryad Maritime has today announced the appointment of Nik Askaroff as chair, the first appointment of its type at the company.

Askaroff has over 25 years’ experience of growing international businesses and is chair and non-executive member of four other high-growth companies. A qualified chartered accountant, his previous roles include chief executive of a listed company, president of the south eastern chartered accountants and a Business Link chair. In addition, he has been chair of the south east innovation and growth team.

The role of chair at Portsmouth-based Dryad Maritime will involve advising and assisting shareholders and directors in the development of a robust corporate strategy. It will also cover corporate governance and culture, and the adoption of best practice within the organisation. Askaroff will also be advising on and assisting with grant funding application and business development.

Askaroff said: “I was greatly impressed by the calibre, commitment and vision of the shareholders and the senior team at Dryad Maritime when considering this appointment. It was obvious that this is a company that knows where it wants to go and has the skills and ability to get there. It will be a pleasure to help it on its way and hopefully, coupled with my experience, we can make the path a little bit smoother and easier.”

Graeme Gibbon Brooks, Dryad’s managing director, said: “We warmly welcome Nik to the company and look forward to bringing his experience to bear at this exciting time for us. Due to the growth we are experiencing, the natural choice for us was to appoint a chairman with a strong commercial pedigree."

Dryad Maritime operates a 24/7/365 maritime operations centre manned by maritime intelligence specialists and field experts. In 2014, Dryad will be expanding its operation to include new services that not only complement its intelligence portfolio but that are also designed to assist with maritime operations in a broader capacity.

Gibbon Brooks continued: “Shipping is a highly diverse and dynamic industry and Dryad has been quick to respond to the existing and developing needs of our clients. It has become evident that Dryad’s capabilities extend beyond risk mitigation and, with intelligence still at its core, Dryad is working with clients to bring the same cost and efficiency benefits of our existing services to the wider operational challenges faced by today’s shipping companies”.