John started his career as a Marine Engineer in 1971 as a cadet with Shell Tankers. Working mainly on tankers, he obtained United Kingdom First Class Engineer's certificates for both steam and motor ships. Changing careers, but remaining with Shell in the early 1980's, he has held various positions in the field of oil and gas production operations engineering. In 1996 he made another career change into the field of Health Safety and the Environment, latterly as a Health Safety and Environment Manager for Shell Trading.

During his career, John has had the pleasure of living and working in various countries around the world including the USA, Norway and Nigeria. John is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and an Associate Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment SEAaT is a cross industry group encouraging and facilitating the efficient reduction of harmful emissions to air from shipping.