Leading Maritime Security Provider, GoAGT, is delighted to announce the appointment of Gerry Northwood OBE as its Chief Operating Officer. As an acknowledged expert in counter-piracy, Gerry has a wealth of maritime experience gained over 30 years of service in the Royal Navy. His outstanding contribution has included command of the destroyer HMS LIVERPOOL, command of UK counter-piracy operations off Somalia and spearheading the team that created Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA).
Commenting on Gerry's appointment, GoAGT's Chairman, Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks CB DSC, stated, "We are extremely pleased that Gerry Northwood has joined the senior management team of GoAGT as our Chief Operating Officer. He is a highly talented individual and brings a unique breadth of maritime experience to our rapidly growing company. I am certain that he will inspire considerable confidence in both our clients and our people."
GoAGT is a market leading risk mitigation specialist, operating across the maritime domain. The company has been in continuous operation since 2008 and provides a full range of security services from Consultancy and Audit to Anti-Piracy Training and Maritime Security Project Design. GoAGT now employs over 300 full-time staff and annually provides over 50,000 man days of protection at sea with over 35 vessels under its protection at any one time.
In 2012 GoAGT extended operations into West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea and will continue to expand into other global areas in 2013.
Gerry Northwood Biography
Following a highly successful, 30 year career in the Royal Navy during which he reached the rank of Captain (RN), Gerry Northwood has joined GoAGT as Chief Operating Officer. Through a succession of command and staff appointments, Gerry has helped shape the nature of military counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean, and the increasingly successful relationship between the military and commercial sectors.
Most recently he commanded from RFA FORT VICTORIA, a counter-piracy Task Group conducting operations off the coast of Somalia. During which, he orchestrated the rescue from Somali pirate control of the MV Montecristo, and through other operations, the detention and hand over to Italian and Seychelles authorities of 36 Somalis suspected of piracy, all subsequently sentenced.
Gerry played a key part in the initial development of EUNAVFOR. In this role, he first met GoAGT, CEO, Nick Davis who played a key role advising and assisting in the establishment of the IRTC Group Transit System. Gerry also assisted in the development of Best Management Practice, established a risk based system for protecting merchant vessels transiting the HRA, and led the operations team that took MSCHOA from start-up to benchmark CP service. For this he was awarded an OBE.
In 2004-5 he successfully commanded the destroyer HMS LIVERPOOL
Gerry will be speaking at the GoAGT Breakfast Briefing to be held on HMS President Wednesday 16th January, at 08:30.