HMS Senior Management Team
William Annand
Vice President
William “Bill” Annand joined HMS in February of 1995 on it first marine management contract as a watch-standing master and director of operations.
Bill was essentially raised in the passenger vessel and maritime industry. He began his career as a deckhand with the with the Beaver Island Boat Company, a ferry company carrying cars, passengers and freight on a 32 mile route between Charlevoix and Beaver Island, Michigan. After receiving his first USCG Master’s license at the age of 21, Bill went on to work for Star Line Corporation. Star Line Corporation was a rapidly growing cruise-dining operation that expanded quickly during the 1980’s. While still in his 20’s, Bill was managing marine operations for a fleet of nine vessels that operated in Great Lakes ports including: Chicago, Milwaukee, Charlevoix, Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland. After Star Line ceased operations in 1990, Bill acquired one of the vessels and operated it on the Detroit River providing lunch and dinner cruises until 1994. In 1994, Bill assisted in managing ferry operations for Arnold Line in Mackinaw City, Michigan for the summer season.
Since 1995 he has been working with HMS on various projects, including: casino gaming vessels in Missouri and Indiana, ferry development and operations, and various other consulting contracts. Since 2004 Bill has managed the startup of three high-speed car/passenger ferries, including: an 86 meter high-speed car/passenger ferry on Lake Ontario between Rochester, New York and Toronto, Ontario; a 58 meter high-speed car/passenger ferry operation on Lake Michigan between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan; and, most recently, a 107 meter high-speed car/passenger ferry operating in the Hawaiian Islands. In 2008 Bill was promoted to vice president; acting as senior project manager for multiple projects and assisting in business development activities.
In addition to marine operations and project management, Bill has extensive experience the business development area of the marine industry. His business development experience includes various aspects: from market research to financial forecasting; from technical research and vessel inspections to business plan development and formal presentations. Overall, his 27 plus years of diverse experience in US maritime industry makes him uniquely qualified for any marine project.
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