MLOCS Chair Tony Vlasto recognised in King’s Birthday Honours

Tony Vlasto, Chair of the Trustees of Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship (MLOCS) has been awarded the honour of the member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Maritime Law, to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and to Maritime Charities.



Tony Vlasto has chaired the MLOCS Board of Trustees since 2019. MLOCS is a charity which provides the funds to enable young people to undertake the three years of training required to become a Merchant Navy officer following a Deck (Navigation), Marine Engineer or Electro-Technical (ETO) professional pathway. To date, it has raised more than £3m in support of cadet training. The charity currently has 12 cadets in training.



MLOCS cadets additionally benefit from their involvement, through the sponsors and the MLOCS trustees, with a wide range of experience in the maritime services sector generally and so enhancing future job opportunities.



Jos Standerwick, Chief Executive of Maritime London and an MLOCS Trustee, said: “MLOCS is run on an entirely voluntary basis and Trustees must be willing to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in to ensure we can fulfil our charitable objectives. In this respect, our Chair truly leads from the front. Tony has had a transformative effect on the charity. His energy, diligence and empathy are unmatched.

“After a distinguished career as a maritime lawyer, his fundraising prowess for the RNLI and the endless time he commits to MLOCS, I struggle to think of a more deserving recipient of this honour.”



Other MLOCS Trustees joined in with congratulatory messages as follows:



Phil Parry, CEO, Spinnaker Global Ltd: "Tony is one of the most warm, energetic, motivating and kind people in our industry.  He gives endlessly and selflessly and I am so delighted that his generosity of spirit and his achievements have been recognised and honoured. Bravo!"


Ann Pletschke, Director, Trinity Maritime: "Tony is a stalwart in supporting maritime causes, including the support of maritime futures. His support is truly from the heart and I am delighted that he has been recognised with being awarded this honour."



Nick Austin, Partner, Transportation – Shipping, Reed Smith: “This is a richly deserved honour for Tony, who has devoted so much of his time and energy to improving the lives of people in the maritime industry. His selfless commitment to a range of charities in the sector, including the Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship (MLOCS) from which so many young people have benefited, stands out. I am thrilled that Tony has received this recognition.”



Tony Vlasto also currently serves as the President of the City of London Committee of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).