Foss Maritime names Will Roberts as next president
Written by Nick Blenkey
Will Roberts [Image: Foss Maritime]
Foss Maritime reports that Will Roberts has been appointed as the organization’s next president. Roberts was formerly the Chief Operating Officer for Foss.
“It was evident to our leadership team that Will’s ability to perform at the highest level along with his business acumen continues to align very well with our organization,” said Jason Childs, CEO at Foss Maritime’s holding company Saltchuk Marine. “As we look to the future, we’re confident that Will is the right person to lead Foss and carry on the long legacy of providing the highest level of service and support to our team and customers in the maritime sector.”
Roberts joined Foss in 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer and in 2018 was named Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the company’s fleet, the full-service Seattle shipyard and the marine engineering and naval architectural services team.
“I look forward to continuing to build upon our long legacy of our ‘Always Safe and Always Ready’ culture,” said Roberts. “Our industry continues to change, and we have transitioned with it. We have invested in additional assets to service larger ships including our new 90-ton tugs. In addition, with our steps to accommodate changes in regulations and environmental requirements, our organization will continue to ensure our ability to successfully serve this ever-changing market,” said Roberts.
Recently, Roberts oversaw the new vessel build program for four new tugboats built for Foss and sister company, AmNav. With the recent news of Saltchuk Marine’s (Foss’ holding company) acquisition of Centerline Logistics’ ship assist business and, in turn, the sale of Foss’s California bunker barge business to Centerline, Foss continues to reposition itself in the industry.
“Foss continues to be a pioneer and stay ahead of the curve. Our strong team ensures our ability to successfully evolve and adapt, as we have for over 131 years,” said Roberts.
Prior to joining Foss, Roberts served as Senior Vice President, Customer and Services–Americas, for global marine systems and services provider Rolls-Royce. During his tenure at Rolls-Royce, Roberts also served in the roles of Sales Manager U.S. West Coast, Vice President Global Customer Training and Services Development based in Aalesund, Norway, and Chief of Staff to the President of Rolls-Royce Land & Sea in London, U.K.
Roberts began his career in the U.S. Navy as a qualified Deck and Engineering Officer onboard the USS Honolulu, a fast attack submarine based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Roberts is from Wrentham, Mass. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Ocean Engineering and holds a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. Most recently, Roberts completed a course of study at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and is currently enrolled in a course of study at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
