Fairline has promoted Dean Ling to chief technical officer, following his 17-year career with the British yacht builder.
Dean joined Fairline as a commissioning engineer at its test centre in Ipswich and has increasingly taken on increasing responsibility for quality control, warranty, commissioning and customisation.
During his career at Fairline, Dean’s role has involved completing more than 150 customer and dealer handovers and travelled internationally to assess newly appointed dealers.
His experience also includes leading a number of technically complex customisation projects such as the installation of a stabiliser system in Australia, and managing the retrofit of a hardtop to a Fairline Squadron 78 in the South of France.
As chief technical officer, Dean will provide technical leadership across Fairline’s yachts and major onboard systems, with responsibility for ensuring the business continues to adopt and develop the technologies.
He will work with Fairline’s customers, dealers and internal teams, translating feedback and emerging technology into future product development.
Ideally placed
“Dean’s promotion is thoroughly deserved and reflects the depth of experience, technical expertise and understanding of Fairline that he has built over the past 17 years,” said Oliver Southwell, CEO of Fairline.
“He knows our yachts, our dealers and, importantly, our customers exceptionally well, which makes him ideally placed to take on the role of chief technical officer.”
Dean added: “To progress from joining Fairline as a commissioning engineer 17 years ago to becoming CTO is something I’m incredibly proud of.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with some very talented people, tackle some fascinating technical challenges and, importantly, spend a great deal of time with our customers and dealers around the world.
Dean joins Fairline’s executive leadership team alongside chief executive officer Oliver Southwell, chief operating officer Pete Hamlyn and chief financial officer Philip Owen.
The appointment comes ahead of the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, where Fairline will stage the world premiere of its new Targa 58 GTO.
