Southampton-based marine engineering services group, SMS, has appointed Darren Smith (pictured) to head up its new cruise and ferry business.
He was appointed as Head of Business Development to focus on the cruise and ferry sector.
SMS specialises in outfitting, shiprepair, and marine engineering.
Smith, who is based in Southampton, has a wealth of experience and contacts from over 30 years in the industry. He joined Dan Lockyer, Head of Interiors, and Project Managers, Nick Border and Chris Bailey.
Lockyer said, “Darren’s appointment is one of strategic significance for SMS. Our outfit business has grown year-on-year for three years and as the cruise industry prepares for a global restart the timing is just perfect.”
Smith added, “I’ve known Dan and the team for a long time and I look forward to working with them not only in regard to business development but also in creating a new and exciting business. We’re building something special and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Nicholas Warren, SMS’s Commercial Director, commented; “Despite the pandemic, each of our eight locations has this year made a positive EBITDA contribution to Group, and which has resulted in us exceeded our budget by some margin.
“The time is right for investment, and as the cruise industry restarts it will move from being one of our many marine centric verticals to being at the heart of our operations,” he said.
