UK Hydrographic Office names interim chief executive

She will succeed Peter Sparkes, who leaves in May 2024 to become the chief executive of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in the UK.

Ms Blake will head up UKHO, a producer of electronic navigational charts used on ECDIS on ships for safe transits between ports, after joining the organisation in July 2023. Since then, she has helped develop and implement the customer strategy that sits at the heart of the UKHO’s new corporate plan.

“Significant progress has been made at the UKHO in our digital transformation and adapting to the evolving needs of our customers, while upholding our vital mission of serving defence and supporting safety of life at sea,” said Ms Blake.

“I look forward to building on these achievements and working with our talented and dedicated people, our distributors and partners around the globe.”