Team

CEO of Vard Marine, Wade Carson, outside

Wade carson

CEO

Our current CEO, Wade Carson, put down roots in the company when he first started as Junior Naval Architect, eventually transitioning into Business Development Manager after more than a decade working as an engineer. After six years leading the company’s strategic vision in business development, he took on the role of interim Managing Director of affiliate company Vard Electro Canada, where he was instrumental in expanding the company’s client and employee base. Wade’s greatest asset lies in his passion for business development and customer relations. Developing market and business strategies, exploring new avenues of growth, connecting with multiple markets, and driving the company forward are what we can expect from Wade’s leadership in the coming years.

Mark Cook, COO/Vice President Vancouver Vard Marine in black blazer and blue shirt

Mark Cook

Chief Technical Officer

Mark brings his strong background in vessel design, construction, project management and customer relations to his role as CTO. He has enjoyed his international postings representing the company as project design manager, Owner’s representative and business development.  After prising him off of the drawing board, Mark now oversees the production and personnel aspects of the functioning of the company. He is responsible for project performance, overseeing the engineering, design tools and processes and helps drive the continuous improvement and growth of the company. 

Darren Truelock, Vice President Houston Vard Marine in business attire and smiling for headshot

Darren Truelock

Vice President houston

Darren’s strong background in project management, structural design and regulatory knowledge for Naval & Commercial Programs combined with his drive and passion to succeed has been invaluable to the company since he started in 2014. He has excelled in managing programs, providing client support and satisfaction, and demonstrating technical expertise within the field. Having served as Technical Manager in the Houston office and Managing Principal Engineer at the American Bureau of Shipping (“ABS”) prior to that, he has developed a versatile skill set that has prepared him well for his current role as Vice President of Houston.

Headshot of Derek Buxton, Vice President Business Development Vard Marine

Derek Buxton

Vice President Business development & Ottawa

Derek Buxton has 32 years of combined service with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard and is currently spearheading the development of new opportunities for VARD in the global government shipbuilding sector. After completing his engineering degree at the Royal Military College of Canada, Derek started his career in the military serving in many sea-going and shore-based roles. He spent four years on exchange duties in Australia with the COLLINS Class submarine program, and subsequently worked on the acquisition and in-service support of Canada’s VICTORIA Class submarines upon his return to Canada. He then finished his military career in 2007 as the design authority for submarine platform systems. Derek spent eleven years with the Canadian Coast Guard in key leadership roles supporting its renewal program, and most recently was responsible for the requirements definition and concept development for the Coast Guard’s future fleet.  

Kristin Jovel, Business Operations Manager Vard Marine headshot

KRISTIN JOVEL

Vice President BUSINESS OPERATIONS 

Kristin Jovel joined the company in 2010 after leaving her position as a Director of a top-tier service management company in the Houston, Texas area. She continues to leverage her corporate governance and strategic development initiatives to lead the company in her current role as Vice President Business Operations and Director on the Vard Marine Gdansk Board of Directors. Kristin is passionate about people, leading skilled teams in non-technical areas such as IT/Data Management, Quality Assurance, Security and Trade Compliance, Contract Management and Procurement, and corporate governance. 

Headshot of Sanjay Babooram, Financial Controller Vard Marine

SANJAY BABOORAM

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

 

 

 

Riane DSouza-Traynor 

HR Business Partner

 

 

 

Lee Grace, Sales Manager Vard Marine headshot

Lee Grace

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Manager

Melisa Pacheco

QA Manager

Mike Teschke, NSS Program Manager Vard Marine headshot

MIKE TESCHKE

Marine Engineering Manager

Brenden Oke, Engineering Manager Vancouver & Vung Tau Vard Marine headshot

BRENDEN OKE

Naval Architecture Manager

Tanmoy Das

Structural Engineering Manager

Ron Ogoniek headshot

Ron ogoniek

Projects & Programs Manager

Artur Polec

Artur POŁEĆ

General Manager Gdańsk