This week Cornwall Marine Network’s team and members celebrate as its CEO Paul Wickes MBE has reached the incredible milestone of 20 years of service to CMN supporting the sector.

Paul was CMN’s first employee in 2005 and has worked tirelessly over the last two decades to build the CMN team and the range of services provided to a membership of nearly 400 marine businesses across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Paul continues to champion local businesses, and support people and communities that make up Cornwall’s world class marine industry. Paul acts as an ambassador and represents the marine sector locally, regionally and nationally, including holding the position of Board Director of Maritime UK, the government recognised lead body for the sector in the UK.

Paul has been a long-standing support to the development of the Maritime UK Regional Cluster Network, which he chaired for two-years.

Professor Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE – Maritime UK CEO commented;

‘Paul is a titan of industry and I am proud to call him my friend. Paul’s dedication over the last 20 years supporting our amazing maritime sector has been an incredible achievement and I look forward to our continued partnership supporting the growth of maritime in Cornwall and the South West.’

Paul’s leadership style is led by his principles of supporting and developing team members to provide outstanding customer service. This has reflected in several outstanding achievements, including CMN winning the prestigious Maritime UK National Coastal Powerhouse Award in 2024, recognising CMN as a catalyst for driving economic improvements in the local region.

During Paul’s tenure, CMN has:

• Created 4,907 new jobs in Cornwall, including nearly 1,800 new apprenticeships in small businesses
• Competitively won £44 million of mostly Public-sector funding to invest in member support and grants
• Supported 840 unemployed people into jobs
• Added more than £700 million of value to Cornwall’s economy through the jobs created and filled
• Upskilled and re-skilled more than 10,000 employees from the sector
• Created a team of 110 volunteer Marine Ambassadors from member businesses to provide careers advice to local young people
• On average, CMN has created or filled one job every working day for the last 20 years
• On average, every £1 awarded competitively to CMN, and then invested in members is turned into more than £15 of economic value

The record is impressive and growing every day, and despite a relentless ambition and high standards. he leads with kindness, which was formally recognised in 2024 through a national “Kindness in Leadership” award.

Anyone who knows Paul also understands his commitment to charities and fundraising, having previously been the Drum Major leading Falmouth Marine band for 13 years, and since retiring from the band, Paul has dedicated his time to a growing number of charitable endurance challenges, including running the London Marathon wearing a Cornish kilt alongside his famous friend, Fred Thomas who ran as Betty Stogs.

In the last six years Paul has successfully completed two London Marathons, two Lake Serpentine two-mile swims, two Ride London 104-mile events, a Falmouth Castle-to-Castle swim; a 215-mile Ride for Precious Lives for Children’s Hospice South West, two 10-mile RNLI raft rows and other local events….that means several months and thousands of miles of training for the endurance events!

Paul has marched as a mascot at the front of Falmouth Pink Wig breast cancer parades at the personal request of the organising committee and Chairs the South and West Cornwall RNLI fundraising.

Paul is also well known for his support of Cornwall rugby and has been heard beating a bass drum with Trelawney’s Army at Cornwall County games for the last 28 years.

We understand Paul is already planning his next major challenge which we expect to be announced later this year!

Paul was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to the Marine industry and the community in Falmouth.

The CMN Team celebrates Paul’s major milestone, and together with his family, our marine member companies, the wider business sector of Cornwall, and the community of Falmouth, we all wish to say thank you Paul for all that you have achieved in the last 20 years.