On 22nd September, Hawkins welcomed guests to Trinity House for an evening of CPD presentations and drinks, reintroducing our annual event following a hiatus since 2019. It was excellent to see so many familiar and new faces, and to introduce some of our own new team members and their expertise.
Hawkins’ new Managing Director, Dr Andrew Prickett, shared his aspirations for Hawkins’ future, and Marketing Director, Andrew Reeves introduced our two speakers for the evening.
James Townsend, Plant Pathologist from Hawkins’ Reigate Office, began the evening’s presentations with his talk, The Crop Conundrum. James has a background in diagnosing crop problems and fruit rots, as well as in advising growers when it comes to disease management strategies. This presentation explored the many factors that can cause diseases within plants, potentially ruining a crop and resulting in high losses. From fungi to viruses, bacteria to microscopic nematodes, James’ cases studies and examples showcased the types and scale of damage that can be a heavy blight on the agricultural claims industry.
Mechanical Engineer, Simon Batt of Hawkins’ Birmingham Office, gave the second talk of the evening titled: Hydrogen as a Fuel for Gas Turbine Engines. His presentation focused on the impact of climate change in the power & energy sector, the risks and financial implications of running turbines on hydrogen, other alternative fuel considerations, and why gas turbines are still important. Simon’s illuminating presentation about the future of turbine energy invited the audience to guess as to the scale of the increasing energy demand:
How much oil do we use globally per day?
- 1 million barrels
- 10 million barrels
- 100 million barrels
If you, like our rather astute audience that evening, guessed C) 100 million barrels, you are correct. This energy transition will cause operators to look for alternative fuels, adapt equipment as needed, mitigate operational risk, and beware of financial losses due to failures. Hawkins can help advise operators and insurers to make informed decisions – both proactively to prevent a failure and reactively if a failure occurs.
Following the CPD presentations, guests enjoyed networking, drinks and canapes. Hawkins would like to thank everyone who was able to join us and are already looking forward to next year’s event.
