Chief Coastguard awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List

His strong leadership in transforming HM Coastguard’s search and rescue operations has been recognised with an OBE for Chief Coastguard, Keith Oliver.

Mr Oliver OBE fully embraced the idea of conducting rescues within a modernised, joined-up national network of Coastguard Centres, which would allow resources to be more easily shared and coordinated during busy times.  He then planned the detailed, step-by-step changes to personnel and technical infrastructure to make it all happen.

Keith was appointed Chief Coastguard in May 2015, in recognition of his exceptional, skill and expertise after nearly 20 years of service to Her Majesty’s Coastguard.

Keith Oliver said, ‘When people are given Honours, they often say it’s down to other people. In my case, it certainly is. So, while I’m delighted to be receiving this OBE, I’m also acutely aware that it’s through the efforts of others.

‘This really is for all those in HM Coastguard, whether as volunteers on the coast, or in the operations rooms making vital decisions on how to deal with incidents, or on the team that worked so tirelessly towards creating this national network. Together, we’re a team. A team that works to search, to rescue and to save, to make our seas and coasts safer places.’

Sir Alan Massey, CEO of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, said: ‘Keith Oliver’s leadership, vision and personal resilience in the face of big challenges and deep-rooted scepticism have seen the programme through to the end, delivering a superb UK search and rescue capability that is genuinely fit for the 21st century.’

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