HM Coastguard Commander wins ADP Control Room Lifetime Achievement Award


Commander Mark Rodaway, OBE pictured
in the centre receiving his award.
HM Coastguard Commander Mark Rodaway, OBE, has won the APD Control Room Lifetime Achievement award for 2019.
The APD Control Room Awards winners were announced during an emotional evening at the De Vere Orchard Hotel in Nottingham last night (7 March).
Shining a welcome spotlight on the behind-the-scenes stars who epitomise the very best of public service, eleven hidden heroes of the control room community were honoured for their amazing work saving lives, safeguarding the public and supporting good causes.
Before being announced as winner, the judges said that "Mark ticks every box for the Lifetime Achievement Award – longevity of service, leadership and national influence.


“Over his full career he has been responsible for the development of the coastguard service, technically, operationally and in terms of personnel.”
Upon receiving the award Mark said:  "I am extremely honoured to have been nominated by my colleagues in the operations room and recognised with this Lifetime Achievement Award.  This is the first time that HM Coastguard has entered these awards and for the service to be recognised in this manner is testament to the hard work of all those who work and serve in HM Coastguard.  Without doubt, it is the support of my colleagues and the communities I’ve served that has made my career so much more than just a job for me.  My work delivering the coordination function, essential as it is, though often away from the lime light, has been a rewarding experience, creating a lifetime of memories that I hope will inspire a new generation to come forward and join HM Coastguard."
Mark’s career in Her Majesty’s Coastguard spans 30 years, progressing from a Watch Officer to his current role as National Maritime Operations Commander.From his earliest days Mark specialised in the complex field of maritime search planning. He spent many years at the National Coastguard Training Centre instructing not just British coastguards but their counterparts from many countries across the world. During this time he helped to develop the first Windows-based search planning software programme, a version of which is still used in coastguard operations rooms as the primary search planning tool.
Mark has been heavily involved in the two major reorganisations of HM Coastguard that have taken place during his career. He was instrumental in increasing dramatically female representation in the workforce and establishing the operational concept for the national network of operations centres that exists today.
Mark has been commended numerous times, including the service’s highest individual award for his leadership of the operation to rescue the crew of the container ship MSC Napoli which ran aground in the English Channel in 2007. In the 2012 New Year’s Honours he was awarded an OBE for services to Search and Rescue.
The APD Control Room Awards are the only accolades to celebrate the life-saving and life-changing work of individuals and teams whose contribution is absolutely critical to the work of emergency control rooms.
Staged for the second year, the 2019 awards attracted almost 400 nominations from more than 60 organisations committed to serving the public and safeguarding society.
The awards are run by APD Communications, which develops critical, life-saving software used by the police and other emergency services organisations across the UK, as well as transport and aviation operations nationally and internationally.
APD Managing Director Mike Isherwood said: “We launched these awards because we felt very strongly that the remarkable work of control room staff needed to be more widely recognised and publicly appreciated.
“We’re delighted the control room community has embraced the opportunity and so many unsung heroes are being put forward.
“There is such a powerful cultural thread running through the winners and nominees, both individuals and teams. They are all utterly selfless and absolutely dedicated to public service.
“They provide a snapshot of the thousands of people working in emergency control rooms and who serve and protect the public, hour after hour, day after day.”




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