Captain Roger founded WingTek Ltd, an ambitious green maritime technology start-up developing efficient wind capturing systems to power the future of commercial shipping.

In 1986 Roger led a project using a wingsail and demonstrated it’s ability to save fuel costs on his ship. But a drop in oil prices meant the high cost of installing wingsails wasn’t worth it, and so their use was dropped.

Roger has been involved in attempts to resume wingsails in the past, but with the climate emergency he received government funding to setup WingTek as a company with his wife to further develop the technology and get wingsails back onto ships.

Roger has written articles about the original windsail developer, John Walker, which is part of what is generating renewed interest in this technology.

“I am still confident that these wingsails will be fitted to many ships in the future.”

Official job title: Chairman of Wing Tek Limited

Earning: ~£80,000

Workplace: WingTek has an admin office with some technical space, but most of the development will take place on a site on Avonmouth South Pier. They are only a small team of six at the moment, but with new input of funding, WingTek is set for growth!

Best bit? “Seeing the fulfilment of a lifetimes’ work.”