Sail Training International Trustees

Nigel Rowe
Chairman

His career was in journalism, public affairs, corporate management and consultancy.  Most of his business career was with large multinational companies, living and working much of the time outside his native UK.
Contact Nigel Rowe – nigel.rowe@sailtraininginternational.org 

Doug Prothero
Vice Chairman and responsible for the Americas
His career began as a professional mariner while studying for a life in academia.  Sailing ship operations led to ship ownership and construction (including four Tall Ships).
Contact Doug Prothero – doug.prothero@sailtraininginternational.org

Ron Dadswell OBE
Ron gained his 1st Mates Certificate in the Merchant Navy before joining the British Army.  He retired as a Colonel in 1992 to become the Sail Training Association's Race Director. He sailed as navigator and chief officer on the schooners Sir Winston Churchill and Malcolm Miller.  He has also sailed on Lord Nelson, Tenacious, Stavros S Niarchos, the Japanese Kaisei, the Polish Henryk Rutowski and the Australian Bark Endeavour. Ron is a trustee of the UK Association of Sail Training Organisations and was its chairman for 10 years until 2010.  He was awarded an OBE in 2007 in recognition of his Services to Sail Training.
Contact Ron Dadswell -  ron.dadswell@sailtraininginternational.org

Terry Davies
Terry Davies has had a career of close to 40 years in education and sail training during which he has developed four independent schools, including the American Foundation for Education Under Sail.  He supervised the construction of the sail training vessel Concordia, launched in 1992 as the campus for West Island College International’s Class Afloat”.  Terry also operates two educational consulting firms and is director of ASTA
Contact Terry Davies –terry.davies@sailtraininginternational.org

Willem de Ruiter
Much of his career was with the European Commission, with a good deal of it related to the shipping industry. He then became the first Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in 2003. His interest in the training of people for a career at sea has given him a good understanding of the issues, the people in the shipping industry most directly involved with it, and the maritime academies in Europe.  

Jostein Haukali
Responsible for Europe
His career has been in marketing and business administration.  He created the biennial Offshore Northern Seas Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition in Stavanger, Norway, in 1974 and he worked the last 16 years of his professional career for the French oil company Elf Aquitaine in Norway and in France.  He was also chairman of the Advisory Committee of Stavanger Maritime Museum for a number of years.
Contact Jostein Haukali – jostein.haukali@sailtraininginternational.org

John Richardson
Most of John’s career has been with the European Commission where he had a wide range of roles.  He was Ambassador and Head of Delegation to the UN in New York before spending three years as head of the task force that developed the Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union (adopted by the European Council in December 2007).
Contact John Richardson – john.richardson@sailtraininginternational.org 

Peter Cardy
Chief Executive Officer

Peter spent the first part of his career in adult education in different parts of the UK. Subsequently he was the Chief Executive of several major charities including Macmillan Cancer Support and is also a former Chief Executive of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). 

Peter currently holds a number of volunteer appointments including Patron of the Sea Change Sailing Trust and a member of the RYA Government Affairs Committee. He is a Governor of Southampton Solent University.

He has helped Sail Training International in recent years with advice on regulatory issues and other assistance. Peter’s first sail training experience was at the age of 15, since when he has undertaken countless voyages on sail training vessels of all sizes. He has been a volunteer crew on a number of vessels and sails regularly with the Jubilee Sailing Trust as Watch Leader.

Peter is strongly convinced about the value of sail training in giving young people self-confidence and team skills in a demanding and adventurous setting. From his own experience he has seen how sail training changes many lives for the better.

Keith Robinson
Secretary to the Charity and Legal Advisor to the board of Trustees
Keith is senior partner of the London law firm, DMH Stallard Solicitors. He is a Solicitor and a Director / Company Secretary of a number of public and private companies.
Contact Keith Robinson – keith.robinson@sailtraininginternational.org