Sarah Cockroft – Monitoring Business Manager

Sarah joined OceanWise in November 2023 as our Monitoring Business Manager. Sarah joined us with a wealth of experience having spent 17 years at Fugro as an Oceanographer. Her skills include marine engineering, data processing and importantly managing operational and consultancy metocean teams. At OceanWise she is responsible for managing the day to day running of our Monitoring Business Stream including project management, business development, site visits and our growing monitoring team.

Outside of work, Sarah loves the outdoors, spending as much time as she can in the garden, at the beach or in the countryside with her husband and young daughter.

Fred Ashcroft – Junior Field Engineer

Fred joins us as a junior field engineer, bringing with him a great mix of practical skills and marine experience. Fred recently moved ashore having spent over a year training to be an officer on commercial vessels. Fred will be supporting the Monitoring Team – using his skills in the workshop, in the office and on-site with our customers. Fred also has an interest in coding and software development having studied computer science at college. When he’s not reminiscing about the ocean, he can be found reading books or listening to music.

John Pepper – Chairman

John has 40 years’ experience working in the geospatial information industry, specialising in data collection and management, policy and strategy, new business development and marketing in the UK and overseas. He spent 27 years with Ordnance Survey involved in geodetic surveys, photogrammetry, satellite imagery analysis and cartographic development and 11 years at UKHO in product management, commercial development and data management. In this time, he has travelled widely in UK, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

In addition to his marketing portfolio with OceanWise, John specialises in providing geospatial, business and management consultancy services in strategy development and change management.

He holds professional qualifications in Surveying Science and Geodesy, Marketing and Strategic Planning; is a Chartered Marketer and a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). He lives in Somerset, is married with two grown up children with primary out of work activities including golf, cricket, gardening, steam trains and travelling.

Mike Osborne – Managing Director

Dr Mike Osborne trained as a physical oceanographer and has since acquired a broad set of skills comprising environmental and engineering support, marine data management and GIS. Mike has worked across a range of marine industries, managing numerous high profile projects globally. First as Technical Director of Metoc, then as founder and MD of SeaZone and latterly as MD of OceanWise, Mike has been pioneering the use of GIS in the marine environment for almost 20 years. He specialises in data and information management and decision supports systems for the port and maritime sectors and the creation of marine reference data for marine spatial planning. Mike is a Fellow of IMarEST and a member of the MEDIN Executive Team. He is also an invited expert on the IHO Marine SDI Working Group, which he helped instigate, and an IHO trainer. He was awarded the Association of Marine Scientific Industries (AMSI) Business Person of the Year in 2017.

Mark Jonas – Technical Director

Mark Jonas has over 20 years commercial experience in the industry. He has a unique blend of experience in oceanographic surveying, environmental data processing and long-term data management and archive. This includes the development of computer hardware and software tools and incorporation of the data in a variety of CAD, Spatial Databases and GIS Systems. When those systems can’t solve the problem, he does a bit of programming! Mark also has had extensive experience in mathematical modelling which has provided him with the capability to manipulate data from initial collection through to post-processing and final analysis.

When he’s allowed to come up for air – he enjoys a spot of boating!

Caroline Levey – Operations Director

Caroline has managed to find her dream job combining a love of the sea with a love of geography! Having completed a Masters in Geographical Information Science her first job was developing GIS at the Port of London Authority (PLA) – the use of which is now widespread across the company and systems she developed are still in use 13 years later!

Since leaving PLA she has worked for Metoc and SeaZone, where she was involved in developing GIS based software for companies like Airbus and was integral in the building of SeaZone Data Products – the first marine data company. Since leaving SeaZone to build OceanWise with Mark, Mike and John, she has developed higher quality Data Products, GIS based software for use in Ports and provided training for those learning or improving their GIS skills.

Out of work, small children have got in the way of sailing for a few years so has taken to triathlons as an alternative sport until the kids are big enough to teach them to sail!

Jon Taylor – Business Manager (Associate)

Dr Jon Taylor is a specialist in the acquisition and analysis of marine environmental data. He has a PhD in coastal oceanography (University of Birmingham) and over 25 years’ experience in coastal and offshore oceanographic, hydrographic and geophysical surveying and the associated instrumentation. Over his career he has worked in over 15 countries holding the post of Technical Director for companies in Marine Survey and Marine Civil Engineering working with clients in the fields of oil and gas, renewable energy, ports and harbours, dredging and water resources.

Jon has an extensive research background, holding research positions at a number of UK universities including the Universities of Birmingham, Southampton, East Anglia, Greenwich and Sussex working in the fields of coastal oceanography and the use of acoustics for seabed measurement and mapping. Jon has acted as coordinator for a number of European science and technology projects and presently sits on a Central Dredging Association’s working group on Turbidity Monitoring.

Jon provides OceanWise with expertise in the design, specification and execution in marine environmental monitoring programmes and the analysis of the datasets arising therefrom.

Janet Lockey – Customer Services & Office Manager

Janet has the role of Customer Services Manager at OceanWise where she is responsible for keeping the business ship-shape. Mainly this involves keeping a close eye on other members of staff and ensuring that customers’ expectations are always being met.

Janet started in the Marine Data industry with SeaZone Solutions Ltd in 2007 as Customer Services Assistant. She quickly progressed within the company and was promoted to Customer Services Manager when it became clear she was very good at bossing people around. Janet stayed on when SeaZone was taken on by HR Wallingford Ltd and continued to gain valuable experience learning to work in a much larger organisation. Having left HR Wallingford she is delighted to have come full circle by joining her old crew at OceanWise as Customer Services Manager.

Mother to three grown up daughters, Janet enjoys long dog walks, camping holidays and all things family.

Katie Eades – Marketing Manager

Katie joined OceanWise in early 2018 and works closely with John Pepper in ensuring the development and delivery of OceanWise’s Marketing strategy and Marketing portfolio. Katie has a degree in Marketing and a wide variety of experience spanning Marketing and Sales / Key Account Management. She has worked in a number of industries including Government, Wine and more recently Bathrooms.

Katie is well traveled and spent 5 years after her degree working and exploring throughout Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.

Katie has two young sons with whom she shares a passion for all things out doors. She is a keen skier/snowboarder, swimmer and loves walking and spending time with friends and family.

James Rapaport – Senior Information Systems Developer

James is a developer and GIS expert with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. He has worked as a consultant, developer and product manager. He has knowledge of a range of open source and proprietary industry packages and libraries including ArcGIS, QGIS, GDAL and FME. James is familiar with standards that are relevant to the industry including those from OGC, ISO and W3C and seeks to implement them where appropriate. James is focused on developing applications for managing OceanWise’s data products, designing and implementing a web API for OceanWise’s Port-Log product and managing systems providing spatial web services using off-the-shelf open source products.

James’s interests outside work extend to running and landscape photography.

Robert Proctor – Oceanographer

Robert joined OceanWise in early 2017 after graduating with a degree in Oceanography from the University of Liverpool. Whilst up in Liverpool he took a role at the National Oceanography Centre where he worked for a year in the Marine Physics and Ocean Climate group analysing sea level data.

After a brief hiatus spent working out in the French Alps he has joined our Operations Team. His current role involves working on GIS projects, data processing, installing instruments in the field as well as providing support to clients.

Outside of work, Robert is a keen sportsman having tried his hand at a many sports, from Aussie Rules to water polo. Sailing has always been high on the agenda, racing small keel boats in the Solent. Anything water related and he tends to be happy! Rugby features high on his agenda too being both a fan of Wasps as well as the English national side.

Will Girard – Operations Assistant

Will joined OceanWise as Business Administration Apprentice in September 2016 seeking to gain a qualification while working. As an apprentice he learnt all the different aspects of the company and worked on different areas from the business side to IT. He has a keen interest in Geography and also enjoys work related to the environment, so working for OceanWise means he can combine these interests with his working life. Having completed his apprenticeship in March 2018 he has taken on the new role as Operations Assistant where he, amongst other tasks, will be assisting with OceanWise’ data products updates and website maintenance.

In his personal life he is a keen footballer who enjoys following the sport and playing it. In his spare time he enjoys cycling whenever he can whether it be off or on road.

Steve Bourne – Information Systems Developer

Steve joined OceanWise in December 2018 bringing with them 7 years’ experience in web-based systems development. Of those 7 years they spent 4 years working on website maintenance and development and 3 years developing in-flight entertainment software for private aircrafts – after tackling the skies they decided to move their attention to the seas!

Steve is now a core part of the OceanWise technical team and is responsible for the development and maintenance of front facing websites and external projects as well as supporting and developing in-house tools.

Outside of work, Steve enjoys painting miniatures and spending time with their family and friends.

Amy Thompson – Junior Oceanographic Data Engineer

Amy joined the OceanWise team in 2019 as a Junior Oceanographic Data Engineer supporting both the Technical and Operations team. Amy graduated from the University of Southampton in 2017 with a Masters degree in Oceanography. In the few years following her graduation she has been exploring the world travelling around South East Asia and Australia.

In her free time she is an active gardener and even grows her own vegetables! She is passionate about the planet and tries to live as sustainably as possible. She enjoys cooking, hiking and attempting to surf. She loves the outdoors and being by the sea.

Andrew Bell – Information Systems Manager

Andrew Bell has 16 years experience working in the geospatial industry and a lifetime passion for all things to do with the sea. Following on from completing his MSc in Geographical Information Systems he has been developing corporate geospatial infrastructures in a number of government organisations, mostly recently as an independent consultant for the public and private sectors. Andrew joins OceanWise as an Information Systems Manager and will be working with our operations team. He has strong spatial database skills, in particular with PostgreSQL/PostGIS as well as strengths in QGIS, FME and Geoserver.

A keen sailor, Andrew competes in offshore and inshore yacht races as well as taking time to go cruising and enjoys exploring new waters.

Shane Djokey – Information Systems Apprentice

Shane joined OceanWise in September 2020 as an Information Systems Apprentice. He feels passionate about Web Development and studied this in his spare time alongside full time employment with SSE Networks. Shane has also studied Music at an HND level. He has explored various parts of Europe after he moved with his family from sunshine state California.
He dedicates his free time to attempting the discipline of Powerlifting. He enjoys long walks, eating copious amounts of food, and playing video games.