(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — Seaspan has named three new senior leaders to its corporate executive team, announcing the appointments of Paul Thomas as vice president, engineering,Vancouver Shipyards; Matt Boydston as vice president, finance, Seaspan Shipyards; and Billy Garton as general counsel for Seaspan ULC.
As vice president, engineering, Thomas is primarily responsible for engineering and design on new ship construction, in addition to the development and maintenance of engineering standards and engineering governance for Vancouver Shipyards (VSY). Prior to joining VSY as director of ship construction in 2013, he spent the majority of his career at BAE Systems in Melbourne, Australia, where he held various executive management roles. He has 20 years of experience in the shipbuilding and heavy project construction industries, and has worked on a number of major shipbuilding programs including the ANZAC frigate, air warfare destroyer and landing helicopter dock programs for the Australian Navy, as well as project protector for the Royal New Zealand Navy.
As vice president, finance, Boydston is responsible for strategic financial oversight of the shipyard division and for driving profitability and financial performance of all three shipyards. Additionally, he is accountable for the financial controls and efficient processes needed to support both government and commercial business. As a key adviser to the president of Seaspan Shipyards and its senior management team, he is responsible for ensuring that information and metrics are available to inform value-added business decisions. Boydston has been serving as controller at Seaspan Shipyards since 2006, during which time he has been closely involved in supporting other federal government initiatives, including the Victoria in-service support contract (VISSC) and frigate life extension (FELEX) projects, as well as the Coast Guard motor lifeboat (MLB) construction program. He brings over 20 years of financial leadership in industrial manufacturing settings to his new role.
Effective Oct. 1, Garton will assume the role of general counsel for Seaspan ULC (Seaspan) and be responsible for providing leadership and direction for commercial contracting across Seaspan’s business units, including government contracting, supply chain, operations, commercial, insurance and claims. Over the past 25 years, Garton has worked at Seaspan’s legal partner, Bull Housser, on a number of important Seaspan projects, including playing a key role in the company’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) contracting efforts. Throughout his legal career, Garton has worked with many of the largest companies in B.C.’s forestry, mining and manufacturing businesses on mergers and acquisitions and regulatory compliance, and has represented industry and governments regarding First Nations benefit agreements and consultation matters. The Best Lawyers in Canada publication recently recognized Garton as the 2016 “Lawyer of the Year” for natural resources law in Vancouver.
“Seaspan’s senior leadership group represents the best-of-the-best in the marine transportation, shipbuilding and ship repair industries, and I am delighted to congratulate Paul, Matt and Billy on their new roles within our world-class team,” said Jonathan Whitworth, CEO, Seaspan. “With these appointments, we have bolstered our senior leadership team with a wealth of extensive and diverse experience as Seaspan continues to drive Canada’s shipbuilding and marine industrial base.”
