Chris Rowlands
Chief Technical Officer
,
Westley Group
United Kingdom
Chris Rowlands is Chief Technical Officer at Westley Group, focussing on the group’s expansion into the US Navy market including new product introduction, business development, and ITAR. He previously spent many 27 years at Wärtsilä, including eight years as MD of Wärtsilä Defence Solutions Ltd (WDSL). His key achievement at WDSL was a pivot from OEM supplier (of seals, bearings, and related equipment) to a systems integrator (of submarine propulsion shaft lines). A chartered mechanical engineer and Fellow of both the IMechE and RINA, Chris began his career designing seals and bearings for naval submarines, before progressing into various leadership roles. He spent two years in Gothenburg, Sweden, running a newly acquired business, Cedervall & Söner AB