Celebration time for Williams Jet Tenders, as its Design Engineering Manager, Dan Bloice-Smith won the inaugural Rising Star Award at this year’s prestigious Boat Builder Awards.
The awards were announced during a ceremony at The National Maritime Museum, Amsterdam. The Rising Star Award was a new category added to this year’s Boat Builder Awards and recognises an individual up to the age of thirty-five who has had a major impact on the boat building business.
Dan has joined the company as an Engineer in 2010 and he now heads up the technical department and oversees new product development. Dan has been involved in the launch of no less than 16 new models and was pivotal in the launch of the Minijet 280 in 2016, a lightweight 2.8m tender that would allow Williams to access a whole new market sector.
Not only talented on the design side, Dan has also devoted his spare time to establishing and running Williams’ innovative ‘Powerboat School’. Engaging with the local community, Dan oversees a group of students through a six-week programme, teaching them the basics of boatbuilding across consecutive weekends. The best students are offered an apprenticeship at Williams the following year and to-date, the programme has produced six apprentices who have gone onto become full time employees.
Commenting on the award, Mat Hornsby, Sales Director of Williams Jet Tenders, said: “We want to pass on our congratulations to Dan for winning the very first Rising Star Award.We are thrilled he has been recognised for his hard work and dedication to the business. This award is testament to Dan’s design and engineering skills that have allowed Williams to dominate the luxury yacht tender market. The Rising Star Award is a brilliant category that provides the perfect way to praise emerging talent in the global marine industry. This award is richly deserved.”
