Departure of “stellar” captain spells Operations changes at helm of Condor

Thursday 26 April 2018

Condor have appointed a new Executive Director of Operations to direct and oversee the fleet’s four ships and five ports following the departure of Captain Fran Collins, who is leaving after 16 years of service.

She will step into the role of Chief Executive Officer at Southampton-based Red Funnel Ferries, with Captain Elwyn Dop serving as her Condor successor.

She will step into the role of Chief Executive Officer at Southampton-based Red Funnel Ferries, with Captain Elwyn Dop serving as her Condor successor.

Ms Collins’ time at Condor saw her work across a number of roles, including Master Mariner, Director of Ports and Guest Services. She held the role of Executive Director of Operations for four years.

CEO Paul Luxon said that the company was “sad to see Fran leave after a stellar career with Condor”, but acknowledged that her new role was “a significant next step in her shipping sector career journey, which started with a six-week placement at Condor back in 2002.”

Pictured: Elwyn Dop, Condor's new Executive Director - Operations.

“Her depth of knowledge, professionalism and experience will stand her in good stead going forward, and we wish her well,” he said.

Mr Dop, who has worked as an advisor to the ferry provider since last year, will step into his new role on 4 June. He will be based in Poole.

He is qualified as a Master Mariner, and holds previous experience in Operations from his time at Wightlink, an Isle of Wight-based company.

Speaking about the new appointment, Mr Luxon added: “Elwyn is well-known to us through many years spent in a management role at Wightlink and more recently has provided consultancy to Condor through developing our safety regime and systems. He is far more than a safe pair of hands to help move the company forward and I am delighted to welcome him to the senior management team.”