by Vanessa Chiasson
WHEN THE AVERAGE person thinks about how a ship is built, they no doubt envision wood, metal, large crews, and complicated plans. But for James Davies, President and CEO of Davie Shipbuilding, experience has taught him to evaluate the process through a different lens. Coming from a family of engineers has led to a lifetime of building for Davies and he has come to the conclusion that “The biggest shortage in mechanical engineering was not of ideas, talent, or the willingness to work to solve engineering problems of design and production. Rather, it was a lack of translation, pre-project funding, structure, purpose, and risk mitigation to enable financing.”
It was this realization that led him to accounting and corporate finance, which then brought him to the maritime sector. That is where he gained valuable commercial experience financing and executing increasingly complex projects. Davies was previously the CEO of Cambridge Capital Marine, a maritime-focused investment advisory firm, and prior to that he was a finance director of the AKN Group. However, to be fair, Davies has really been in the maritime sector his entire life, in a roundabout way. As he says: “As a teenager, I used to fix engines and equipment on small commercial boats going up and down the river Thames, just for fun! I was also a keen volunteer at a local industrial museum where many kinds of steam engines were rebuilt for customers or to run on display.”
Tinkering with engines along the Thames sounds like it’s far removed from Davies’ current job of shaping the strategy, culture, and organizational structure of Canada’s largest and longest established shipbuilder. However, his teenage mindset to keep working at the problem has never left him. As he describes it: “Out-of-the-box thinking is incredibly important for me – personally and professionally… My task might involve negotiation or financing or simply thinking of the way we need to organize ourselves strategically to address challenges, while weighing the consequences and risks of pursuing new opportunities. This part of my job allows me to roll up my sleeves and work closely with relevant internal and external teams, which in turn keeps me focused on our priorities and those of our customer.”
This approach has served Davies and his team well. One stand out moment from his career has been the delivery of the naval supply ship MV Asterix. The project took only three years from concept to delivery and was proudly delivered on time and to budget. Davies describes this “as a tour de force for Davie and for all the people involved in this project including those at our affiliate company, Federal Fleet Services. FFS continues to ensure the right team is in place for the ship to be ready to go as planned supporting RCN all over the world.” He credits a “tremendous willingness” for the team to work together to fill the Navy’s urgent need as a key component of their success.
“ In 2020, Davie was selected to become a partner in the National Shipbuilding Strategy and tasked with the construction of a new fleet of polar icebreakers.”
Taking on similarly daunting (and rewarding!) tasks is a top priority for Davies and his company. In 2020, Davie was selected to become a partner in the National Shipbuilding Strategy and tasked with the construction of a new fleet of polar icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Davies describes the National Shipbuilding Strategy as undoubtedly the single most important contact in the company’s nearly 200 years of operations. As he says: “Successfully concluding negotiations with Canada to officially become a partner of the National Shipbuilding Strategy has been our focus, moving on to the execution of work under this relationship is definitely the number one priority for the remainder of 2022.”
Davies draws tremendous satisfaction from what the company has accomplished over the past ten years and gains inspiration from its upcoming projects. As he says: “The growing strategic importance of Davie’s work for Canada is extremely motivating. We can actively help Canada defend its sovereignty in an increasingly volatile world.”
James Davies’ experience in the world of shipbuilding – from museum volunteer to corporate CEO – is a lesson in the benefits of following your passion and the power of being a generalist, a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’ if you will. As he says: “It is easy to become overspecialized too early. You need a good foundation… More general experience will serve you well in getting the job done within your new team.” It’s a perspective he would recommend to any young executive eager to follow in his footsteps. Davies suggests that, for people starting their career, it’s prudent to choose something that provides them with general experience in their area of interest, a tool set of sorts that can be used in many places within the industry. As such, when they do reach the point to choose an area of specializing, they’re doing so with perspective and confidence.
Davies knows that his industry faces some difficult times looking ahead. He reports: “Like many industries there is a lack of skilled people in shipbuilding.” However, he also sees the benefit in meeting the moment, saying “We all have our challenges. The ones I have encountered have, I hope, made me better. I am sincerely grateful for those challenges and all the help and advice I have received along the way”, adding: “Hard has never been a reason for me not to do something.”
Davies’ eagerness to take on a challenge extends into his personal life. The keen interest in vintage engines that kept him engaged in his youth has never left him and he has a passion for obscure transportation machinery such as old motorcycles and antique cars. His current project is nicknamed the “Fishplant Ferrari”, a nitrous oxide burning 1971 Pontiac Firebird race car. He optimistically reports: “This year I believe we will get it to run 9 seconds in the quarter mile. Next year I think we will have a go at doing this with an enhanced emissions profile. Probably using methanol but alternatives are being considered. But my guess is that the NSS could take precedence, and this actually becomes a 2025 project!”
