Jean-Francois “Jeff” Bonnin has been appointed to the executive board of directors of SRT Marine Systems plc.

He took on the role on February 3.

SRT Marine Systems PLC is a global provider of next-generation integrated maritime domain and coastal surveillance and monitoring systems for national coast guards and fishery authorities.

The company announced that Mr Bonnin had joined the executive board as product management director.

Mr Bonnin joined SRT as a product management director in January 2019 with the primary responsibility of driving functionality innovation in the SRT-MDA system.

He is professionally trained and qualified as a meteorologist and oceanographer. Before he joined SRT, he spent 12 years in the French Navy rising to a senior rank and undertaking multiple missions that encompassed routine patrols, fisheries protection, anti-smuggling and antiterrorist detection and interception.

After leaving the French Navy in 2007, Mr Bonnin worked as regional sales manager at Meteogroup for the oil and gas business unit and CLS from 2015 to 2019.

“As a technology product lead company at the leading edge of our field, important strategic product-related decisions are often very significant and increasingly need to be considered at board level,” said SRT chairman Kevin Finn.

“Jeff brings a unique depth of technological and field knowledge that has already helped us increase the competitive edge of our products and will now infuse this knowledge directly at board level thus helping us to continue to make the right strategic and tactical decisions and fully leverage our first-mover advantage in the global MDA market.”