The Future of Ship Repair
Ryan Smith, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Systems North America (FMSNA) brings over 15 years of experience in maritime and defense contracting. FMSNA is a US Based corporation and part of the Fincantieri Group in Italy. FMSNA offers products and services to the US Department of Defense, US Department of Homeland Security, Allied Governments, and commercial customers both in the USA and abroad. Prior to joining FMSNA as their CEO, Smith held roles of increasing responsibility in engineering and program management for companies such as Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
Smith most recently ran a project management consultancy offering full-service maritime project management services and training. Smith provided training, process and procedures development, and improvement and directly supplemented clients’ organizations to provide expanded capabilities, scalable solutions, and increased capture rates and profitability. Ryan was born and raised in Florida where he graduated high school prior to earning a full academic scholarship to the University of Florida. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and returned later for his master’s in business administration.
Shawn Johnston, a 26-year decorated retired U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer joined the Fincantieri team in January 2020 as Vice President. He has served on many different ship classes and has worked on the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations’ staffs. Shawn ran the staff at Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) ONE in San Diego prior to his crew commissioning USS CORONADO (LCS 4).
Shawn’s last assignment was as the Commodore of LCSRON 2 for 27 months where he oversaw all aspects of the operations and maintenance of 7 Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). He was a key driver to increase the Planned Maintenance completion rates by working side by side with the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) and industry teams. Shawn worked through numerous maintenance challenges and brought a keen understanding of the schedule impacts and constraints the U.S. Navy faces during both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance windows.
