Rear Admiral Bob Mark R.N.

Bob has been associated with the Water Conservators since negotiating the affiliation with HMS SCOTT; where he was the first Captain, bringing the ship out of build, through trials and into service as Europe’s largest and arguably most capable deep ocean survey ship.  Bob became successively an Honorary Freeman, Liveryman and Member of the Court, serving on the Charities and Grants Committee before election as Walbrook Warden.  His affiliation has clearly done him no harm, since he retired earlier this year from the Royal Navy as a Rear Admiral, joining the global management consultant Booz Allen Hamilton.  His role with Booz Allen is to lead and build their new London based Defence and Security business.  Bob’s background is clearly unconventional by way of contrast to that of the core Water Conservator membership. As he puts it, he’s spent most of his life floating on (salt) water, rather than supplying it and purifying it.  His view of measurement is also slightly different, thinking in terms of surveying around 170 sq miles an hour and Deep Ocean casts to look at water properties which may be in excess of a mile or so deep.  His water tended to have some odd stuff floating or swimming in it – but in this regard perhaps there isn’t so much difference to the challenges faced by our water treatment colleagues!  In the later part of his naval career he was responsible for National Hydrographic policy and co-ordinating survey programmes for the MOD, DETR, and British Antarctic Survey.  He chaired a joint UK-Fr working Group on Hydrography and Oceanography and was the UK Representative to NATO’s Military Oceanographic Committee.  A good apprenticeship by all accounts for membership of our FM&GP.  He is also a non-executive for the Wessex Regional Committee of the National Trust.