Key staff

The Executive Team, led by the Chief Executive, is the RNLI’s team of senior managers. The Chief Executive is responsible to the Trustees for the day-to-day running of the RNLI and the execution of the strategy and policies decided by the Trustee Committee. Six specialist directors are responsible for fundraising, engineering and supply, human resources, corporate services, operations and finance.

Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle CBE CCMI

Andrew Freemantle served in the British and Australian Armies for a total of 25 years, reaching the rank of Brigadier at the age of 43.  He served in many operational theatres, including a tour in South Vietnam with the Australian Army and a spell commanding a Special Forces Boat Troop.  A graduate of the Royal Military College of Science and the Army Staff College, he commanded the Royal Hampshire Regiment and, later, the 19 Infantry Brigade.  He was then selected to be a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies.  He was awarded an MBE and Mentioned in Dispatches for operational service.  He left the British Army in 1990 to become General Manager and, then, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service. He joined the RNLI as Director in 1998 (title changed to Chief Executive in 2001).  Mr Freemantle is a Freeman of the City of London and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute.  He was made CBE in 2007 for services to Maritime Safety.  He is married to Pat and they have four adult daughters.

Fundraising and Communications Director, David Brann DipM MCIM FinstF(Cert)

David Brann was appointed Fundraising and Communications Director of the RNLI in 2003. David joined the Institution in 1994 as Corporate Fundraising Manager and was soon promoted to Marketing Manager, in charge of the recruitment and retention of members and donors and legacy marketing strategy. He was responsible for the successful introduction of Offshore membership, aimed at sea users. In 2000 he was seconded to the Institute of Fundraising for six months to start the Legacy Promotion Campaign for the promotion of legacy giving to all charities. He was appointed Fundraising and Marketing Director in 2001 and promoted to Fundraising and Communications Director in 2003. Prior to that David was Managing Director of Bentley's Restaurants in London and owned his own restaurant in Winchester. Earlier in his career he served as a junior officer on Cunard Line QE2. David holds a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma and is a Chartered Marketer. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising and has been awarded their Certificate in Fundraising Management. David is a keen sailor and can often be found racing his GP14 around the buoys of Poole Harbour.

Engineering and Supply Director, David Brook MA BSc CEng MRAeS

David Brook was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1982 and earned an honours degree in Air Transport Engineering at the City University. He later achieved a Masters degree in Defence Studies from Kings College, London University.

His early appointments were on a front line Tornado air defence fighter station and his career then developed via a variety of tours including working with Tucano training aircraft, procurement of future offensive air systems, and RAF engineering and quality management policy.  Much of David’s recent experience was with Chinook helicopters, firstly as the Senior Engineering Officer on the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing and latterly commanding RAF Odiham’s Engineering and Supply Wing where he was responsible for the provision of serviceable aircraft, engineering and supply manpower and logistic support to RAF Chinook and Army Lynx operations in the UK and in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has served on operations in the Middle East during the 1990-91 Gulf War and in Sierra Leone in 2000.

He is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College,

David joined the RNLI as Engineering and Supply Director in June 2007 and is responsible for almost 300 staff who design, build, refit and repair the Institution’s fleet of over 300 lifeboats, supply all their spares and equipment and provide a similar service to RNLI Lifeguards.

David lists his interests as clay target shooting, cricket and watching rugby.  He is married to Angela, they have a young son and daughter and are in the process of moving to Dorset.

Finance and Information Systems Director, Mark Hallam BSc MNI FCA

Mark Hallam served in the Royal Navy from 1978 to 1987 as a General List Seaman Officer, followed by a further seven years service in the Royal Naval Reserve. In 1987, Mark joined the accountancy firm Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in Bristol, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in January 1991. He then transferred to Coopers & Lybrand in Luxembourg on a three year secondment, and in 1994 joined the London office of the firm. In 1998 Mark joined Willis as Group Audit Director, and was promoted to Divisional Finance Director of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland division three years later. In 2003 he joined H W International, as European Finance Director. Mark joined the RNLI in November 2005 as Finance and Information Systems Director. He is responsible for nearly 100 staff, who collectively provide the institution's financial and management accounting services and the information and communications technology and infrastructure. This supports the activities of the RNLI's volunteer crews, supporters and staff throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. Mark is a keen linguist and sailor, and is married with two daughters and one son.

Human Resources and Training Director, Ali Peck MA MSc FCIPD

Ali Peck joined the RNLI in 1998 from the NHS where she was a manager in Accident and Emergency.  Prior to this she worked for the British Council.After holding a number of positions in Human Resources at the RNLI, Ali was appointed Human Resources Director in 2004 and promoted to Human Resources and Training Director in 2008.   Holding post-graduate qualifications in human resource management and occupational psychology, Ali has a particular interest in workplace behaviours and the formation of the psychological contract.Ali's interests include creative writing and in 1994 she took a 10-month career break to write a novel.  Whilst it was never published, she has ambitions to dust it down and revisit it one day. 

Corporate Services Director, James Vaughan   

James joined the RNLI in April 1998 from the advertising industry where he had spent 12 years. During this part of his career, James worked on brands as diverse as Gordon's Gin, the Atomic Energy Authority and P&O Ferries and left the industry as a Group Account Director.

On joining the RNLI, he initially managed the RNLI's corporate fundraising, was then responsible for evolving and developing the RNLI's web strategy as well as preparing the business case for a commercial 'visitor attraction' on the Poole site. 

Most recently James had responsibility for the Fundraising and Communications Services team. He developed this team initially in 2004 to provide a range of marketing services for the RNLI. The services range from design to printing and from emedia to exhibitions management.

In September 2008 James was promoted to Corporate Services Director following Ian Ventham's retirement.

Born in London, he is married to Sara and they have two sons. A keen sailor and smallholder, he balances the competing demands of family life, work, animal husbandry and whenever possible, some sailing!

Operations Director, Michael Vlasto OBE FRIN FNI

Michael is a Master Mariner who joined the RNLI as a Lifeboat Inspector in 1975 after service in the Merchant Navy as a Deck Officer. He served initially as Divisional Inspector of Lifeboats in Scotland and then Wales between 1976 and 1990. In 1990 he became Staff Officer Operations (Training), controlling all operational training for lifeboat crews and station personnel. In 1994 he was appointed to the newly created position of Sea Safety Liaison Officer where he established and managed the Sea Safety Initiative.

Promoted to Chief of Operations in 1997 (title changed to Operations Director in January 2001) he currently has operational responsibility for both the lifeboat and RNLI Lifeguard services. This involves over 400 full time staff, 5,000 volunteer crew members/lifeguards and supports over 230 lifeboat stations and 70 lifeguard units throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

He is currently Chairman of the National Water Safety Forum and the UKSAR Maritime and Aviation Consultative Committee. He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Livery member of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners and the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, a Freeman of the City of London, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and a Fellow of the Nautical Institute.

In 2007 he became Chairman of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) which represents the lifeboat and SAR organisations around the world. The IMRF has Non-Governmental Consultative status at the IMO.

Michael Vlasto is married with a son and daughter and lives in Hampshire.