Steering Committee 27

After months of preparation, SC27 finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro. SC27 is IC-ENC’s annual Steering Committee meeting, where IC-ENC members come together at Director level to talk through key areas of IC-ENC business, including strategy, finances, service developments, operations and future priorities. 

As the IC-ENC Assistant, I was involved in many parts of planning and delivering the event, from coordinating delegate communications and travel arrangements to helping with meeting administration and making sure everything ran smoothly for both in-person and online participants. 

Throughout the two days, members covered a wide range of topics linked to IC-ENC and the wider hydrographic community. These included:

·         IC-ENC’s operational and financial performance

·         The Activity Fund and future investment ideas

·         Collaboration with the IHO

·         S-100 readiness and future services

·         S-124

·         Member training and capacity building

·         Distribution discussions

·         Pricing timelines

·         ENC Onshore

·         The future distribution model

It was a really useful opportunity to hear more about the priorities and challenges shaping IC-ENC’s work, as well as the collaboration needed to keep moving things forward. 

One of the highlights for me was meeting many of the delegates and colleagues I had previously only communicated with by email. It was great to finally put faces to names, and to see in person the relationships that have been built through years of working together. Everyone was so welcoming and appreciative of the support provided, which made the many months of preparation feel very worthwhile. 

Another highlight was seeing how passionate people are about their work and how willing they were to share their knowledge. As someone with less technical knowledge, I got a lot out of the meeting and came away with a much better understanding of how IC-ENC operates, how members contribute, and how collaboration helps achieve the best outcome for everyone. 

There were important decisions made, productive discussions held, and plenty of opportunities for members to speak directly with one another. From my perspective, it was really rewarding to see all the planning come together and result in such a successful event. 

The trip to Rio was also a memorable experience. Most of my time was spent supporting the meeting, but I was fortunate to have a little time afterwards to explore some of the city. It was a great opportunity to experience a small part of Rio alongside a busy but rewarding week.

IC-ENC Team (L to R): Burak İnan, Emily James, Ruth White, James Harper, Ayo Olugbode, Julia Powell, Leendert Dorst, Jake Sharland & Simon Hampshire

Returning home, there is of course a list of follow-up actions to work through, but also a real sense of achievement. SC27 was a productive and worthwhile meeting that highlighted the strength of the IC-ENC community and the value of bringing members together. I would like to thank all delegates, presenters and colleagues whose contributions helped make the event a success, and I look forward to supporting the work that continues following the discussions in Rio.