Julie-Anne ‘honoured’ to make history with top coastguard role
A WELSH woman has made history by becoming the highest-ranked female in Her Majesty’s Coastguard.
Julie-Anne Wood, 43, is the first woman to hold the role of Head of Maritime Operations since the birth of the UK coastguard in 1822.
The role is one of the most senior in HM Coastguard, and heads the National Maritime Operations Centre as well the 10 Coastguard Operations Centres across the UK.
Ms Wood, who is married and lives in Pembrokeshire, used to run her own business providing safety-training to fishermen and merchant seamen in Wales.
Her career in the coastguard began in 1999 as a part-time Coastguard Watch Assistant in Milford Haven, before she progressed through the ranks in several different positions. In 2014 she temporarily covered the role of Head of Maritime Operations, leading to her being given the position permanently.
Ms Wood said: “It’s a huge responsibility and a position that I’m very honoured to hold. What may have once been a male-dominated industry is very different these days.
“The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has incorporated women in everything they do. In my experience, there have been no restrictions. I have never allowed my gender to get in the way of my career.”
Ms Wood said her proudest moments were rescuing people. “There is no better feeling than seeing families reunited and know that you’ve played a part in that,” she said.