Gavin McCabe is the General Manager at Cockfield Knight, bringing over two decades experience in the maritime industry, specialising in chartering, port agency and logistics. As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, he is dedicated to promoting the industry and ensuring its long-term success.
Passionate about the maritime industry, Gavin also serves on the board of the Tees and Hartlepool Port Users Association (THPUA), is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) and contributes to the ICS Federation Council. He actively works to strengthen connections between businesses, educators and policymakers, helping to keep the maritime sector innovative, sustainable and competitive.
Through his leadership, Gavin is committed to shaping the future of Teesside’s maritime industry, creating meaningful opportunities for businesses and the next generation of professionals.
Carl is a partner at Clive Owen LLP, Chartered Accountants and business advisors with offices across the North East and Yorkshire. Carl specialises in grants advisory work, having helped regional and national businesses across the UK to secure over £350m of grant funding. This includes working with numerous maritime sector businesses on Teesside and beyond. His grant bid writing work has helped to create or safeguard more than 20,000 jobs, many of which are based in Teesside.
A proud Teessider from shipbuilding heritage, Carl is passionate about supporting the growth of the River Tees economy. As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, Carl is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and maritime industry growth in the Tees Valley, ensuring that the cluster and its members take advantage of any grant funding opportunities that become available to accelerate these objectives.
Carl joined the board to help grow Teesside’s maritime industry, attract new business and ultimately provide future employment opportunities for the young people of the Tees Valley.
Suzanne is a principal lecturer for research, enterprise, and knowledge exchange at Teesside University International Business School, with extensive experience in higher-level skills development, degree apprenticeships and stakeholder engagement.
Suzanne is also Chair of the Board of Trustees at Tees Valley Education, a trustee at Recovery Connections and Chair of Partners at NECC. She joined the board to help shape the future of Teesside’s maritime industry and create real opportunities for businesses and future talent.
As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, Suzanne is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and industry growth in the Tees Valley. She is passionate about supporting the next generation and will work to strengthen links between businesses, educators, and policymakers.
Shaun Casey is the General Manager at Redcar Bulk Terminal with extensive experience in maritime operations, port management and logistics. As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, he is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and industry growth in the Tees Valley.
Passionate about supporting the next generation, Shaun works to strengthen links between businesses, educators, and policymakers, ensuring the maritime sector remains competitive, innovative, and sustainable.
He joined the board to help shape the future of Teesside’s maritime industry and create real opportunities for businesses and future talent.
Graeme Wood is the Head of Skills and Education at RelyOn Nutec, leading workforce development and industry training for high-risk sectors. With extensive experience in education and employment initiatives across Northeast England, he drives projects that bridge the gap between skills development and industry needs.
A former Head Teacher, Graeme achieved a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating and earned multiple awards for his leadership in training and skills development. He played a key role in establishing the Teesworks Skills Academy, gaining national recognition for employer engagement and partnerships.
At RelyOn, Graeme works with businesses to upskill and reskill the workforce, ensuring training aligns with industry needs. He plays a key role in major projects like BP’s Net Zero initiative and SeAH Wind’s monopile factory while driving industry growth through Tees Maritime Cluster. Passionate about Teesside’s future, he champions a skilled, adaptable workforce that supports regional and national economic progress.
Peter is a partner at the international law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson. He heads the firm’s Teesside practice. He also heads the national manufacturing sector practice and leads on international trade. He has experienced the changing industrial landscape on Teesside over the past 30 years (nearly). From his roles in industry and latterly in private practice he supports manufacturers and also ports and logistics businesses with the evolution of their global supply chains as well their strategic projects and operational activities. He brings insights from both customers and suppliers of logistics solutions. As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, he is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and industry growth in the Tees Valley, including the sharing of best practice across the range other local industry clusters as well as other maritime clusters in WBD’s other office locations, including the Solent and Cornwall and [potentially] also in the US.
Passionate about supporting the next generation and helping Teesside to realise its full potential, Peter works to strengthen links between businesses, educators, and policymakers, to harness new technologies and ensure the maritime sector is recognised as playing a vital role in the future prosperity of the local and national economy as well as providing exciting career opportunities for the longer term.
Peter joined the board to help shape the future of Teesside’s maritime industry, to ensure our region continues to play a leading role in terms of the advancement of international trade and to create real opportunities for businesses and future talent.
Emma is the Managing Director of Elite Consult Group Ltd., bringing extensive experience in hiring projects within the maritime sector and a deep understanding of the global shipping trade. With industry-specific qualifications and expertise in the UK market, she plays a pivotal role in shaping recruitment strategies across the sector.
Beyond her professional career, Emma has been a passionate advocate for skills and education for over a decade. As an ambassador for Maritime UK and the High Tide Foundation, she actively engages with schools, colleges, and universities, delivering national-level content on recruitment trends and promoting the diverse career opportunities within maritime. As Chair of the Board for Tees Maritime, she is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and industry growth in the Tees Valley.
Dedicated to supporting the next generation of maritime professionals, Emma works to strengthen links between businesses, educators, and policymakers to ensure the industry remains competitive, innovative, and sustainable. Through her leadership, she is helping to shape the future of Teesside’s maritime industry and create meaningful opportunities for businesses and emerging talent.
Liz is Group CFO at PD Ports with experience in Port Operations and logistics. As a board member of Tees Maritime Cluster, she is committed to driving collaboration, skills development, and industry growth in the Tees Valley.
Having recently moved into the Port Sector, Liz is excited to be part of the board to help shape the future of Teesside’s maritime industry, and create real opportunities for businesses and future talent.
Engaging with businesses, education providers, and policymakers
Driving new approaches to skills development and maritime excellence
Measuring success through tangible industry and skills outcomes
Supporting the Net Zero agenda and sustainable maritime solutions