Witt O'Brien's Welcomes Tim Whipple as CEO

SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced today that it has appointed Tim Whipple as the new Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary Witt O'Brien's, the global leader in crisis and emergency management. Whipple succeeds Ken Burris, who has served with the company for 10 years, most recently as the company’s CEO. Burris will continue to work with the business on strategic initiatives and business development.

“We’re delighted to welcome Tim as the new CEO,” said Eric Fabrikant, COO of SEACOR Holdings Inc. “We thank Ken Burris for his many contributions to the business, which under his leadership has established an enviable market position. Tim and his team will build on this success to expand our solutions into areas that we know are at the forefront of our customers’ minds.”

Whipple’s background combines strong credentials in both executive leadership and enterprise risk management. He has served as President of Kroll, a global leader in risk management, and SAI Global Compliance, a leader in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) software and training. Earlier in his career, he was Senior Partner leading Andersen’s consulting business in central Europe.

“I’m excited to be joining the SEACOR family and Witt O’Brien’s talented team,” said Tim Whipple. “There’s never been a greater need for the solutions that we offer. Our work for government agencies enables them to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters efficiently and effectively.”

“In the private sector, CEO and Board surveys confirm that too many organizations are not prepared for events that can threaten their people, customers, finances, reputation and viability. And as we see every day in the news, these events do happen, ranging from natural disasters and terrorism to cyber breaches, food contamination, train derailments or industrial accidents.

“Witt O’Brien’s has specialized in this mission for over 30 years,” continued Whipple. “Advice is more valuable from someone who’s been there before. Our services and software are specifically designed to help our clients control the outcome of such events – thereby protecting and enhancing their enterprise value.”