Ifor Bielecki is Chief Commercial Officer at SeaBot XR, which is a UK based company blending maritime training with smartphone based and untethered virtual reality in the commercial shipping sector.
Beginning his career as a commercial airline pilot, he moved on to senior roles in personnel operations, engineering, autonomous system development and IT Management. Prior to joining SeaBot XR Ifor was a Director at SeaKit International, the winner of the Shell X Prize for building the world’s first long range autonomous surface vessel.
He is a member of the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST) Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Special Interest Group (MASS SIG). The MASS SIG are engaged in seafarer workforce succession planning to determine the nature of future human machine integration and how this will inform future skills and training requirements to the years 2035 and 2050.