Management Team
Any company is only as good as its people. At Robert Allan Ltd., we take great pride in the entire team that works hard in our office every day to provide the high standards of ship design work required, frequently with extremely demanding schedules. We aim to provide a healthy, invigorating and stimulating professional workplace environment for all our staff and we encourage their ongoing professional growth and development, all with the aim of creating the best designs possible for our valued clients. See Careers and Our Commitments.
The people tasked with directing this dynamic company include:
Michael S. Fitzpatrick
President & CEO
Mike is a 1995 graduate of the University of New South Wales in Australia, with a Bachelor of Engineering in Naval Architecture.
He joined Robert Allan Ltd. in 2003. Prior to that, he worked as a Naval Architect at InCat Designs in Sydney Australia.
Mike is responsible for corporate direction, business development, management of senior project managers, and project priorities, schedules and profitability.
Carolyn Kirkham, CPA, CGA
Chief Financial Officer
Carolyn is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Laurentian University. Carolyn joined Robert Allan in 2015. She has over 12 years of experience in the architecture and engineering industry.
As CFO, Carolyn is responsible for the management of finance, administration and human resources, including the development and maintenance of relationships with legal and accounting firms, banks and insurers.
Barton Stockdill, P.Eng.
Director of Hydrodynamics | Chief Information Officer
Bart joined Robert Allan Ltd. full time in 2004 and is a registered Professional Engineer in British Columbia. He holds B.Eng. and M.A.Sc. degrees from the University of Victoria, specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics.
As Technical Manager, Hydrodynamics, Bart leads the company’s hydrodynamics group, with a focus on CFD analysis of tugs and patrol vessels, particularly propulsion and manoeuvring performance. He established Robert Allan Ltd.’s CFD program in 2009, developing advanced in-house analysis capabilities to support vessel design and reduce reliance on physical model testing.
Lawren Best
Director of Design Development
Lawren joined Robert Allan Ltd. in 2007 after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked as a Team Lead Naval Architect and Project Manager on a wide range of vessels, including high-performance tugs, shallow-draft pushboats, research vessels and barges.
Since 2016, Lawren has served as Director of Design Development. He works with owners, operators and shipyards worldwide to assess operational requirements, identify suitable vessel designs and develop customized solutions. He also leads the company’s response to tenders for design services and supports clients pursuing Robert Allan Ltd. designs.
Grant Brandlmayr
Manager, Design Services
Grant joined Robert Allan in 1995 as Senior Naval Architect and currently is the Manager, Design Services.
Grant specializes in establishing procedures to achieve maximum consistency and accuracy in ship design practices, and establishing benchmarks and procedures for monitoring improvements in drawing office productivity. He assists the company principals and other managers in the development, organization and maintenance of standardized materials for design tasks.
Grant attended Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. Prior to joining Robert Allan, he worked for Brandlmayr Marine Ltd. Spencer Boats Ltd, and Shore Boats Ltd.
Derek Noon
Project Performance Manager
Derek Noon has spent 30 years in the shipbuilding and ship design industry. He has worked on a wide variety of vessels in various roles, including project manager, machinery designer and piping systems designer. Derek has worked with government agencies on a number of high profile projects. He has extensive experience working on local and international projects in the areas of machinery and piping systems design.
Derek joined Robert Allan in 1993 as a Marine Technologist. Prior to that he was a naval architect in ferry construction and worked as a design engineer.
Derek holds a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering from the Department of Technical Education from the Government of Western Australia (1990), and a Certificate in Mechanical Engineering from Fremantle College in Western Australia (1987).
Philippe Whyte
Director of People and Operations
Philippe joined Robert Allan Ltd. in 2005 and holds a Diploma of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from BCIT. Prior to joining the company, his marine industry experience included work in a shipyard design office and with marine equipment manufacturers, primarily focused on vessel steering systems.
As Director of People and Operations, Philippe leads the company’s people strategy, resource planning, and operational processes. He oversees Marine Engineering resource allocation, project delivery workflows, and the monitoring of costs and profitability to support a strong, engaged, and high-performing organization.
You can also learn about our naval architecture, engineering, and administration teams. For more information on staff appointments, see News.