Williams Shipping Celebrates 60th Breakfast Meeting in Historic Portsmouth Dockyard

Last week marked a very special milestone for Williams Shipping as we welcomed guests to our 60th Breakfast Meeting, held at the Historic Portsmouth Dockyard, a place steeped in centuries of naval history and tradition. 

Since 1997, our Breakfast Meetings have provided an opportunity for businesses, organisations and individuals to come together, hear from interesting speakers and, most importantly, build and strengthen relationships across the local business and maritime community.

While our Breakfast Meetings have previously always been held in Southampton, our 60th meeting marked a special occasion as we took the event to Portsmouth for the first time, giving us the opportunity to bring together our Portsmouth-based customers and business contacts.

Our first Portsmouth Breakfast Meeting

Set against the unique backdrop of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the morning brought together familiar faces and new connections from across the Portsmouth business and maritime community.

The event provided a relaxed opportunity to catch up with long-standing customers and contacts, meet new people and share ideas, while continuing the tradition that has made our Breakfast Meetings such an important part of the Williams Shipping calendar.

Philip Williams, Marine Managing Director, reflected: 

“This was a great networking opportunity for key stakeholders in Portsmouth harbour to come together to enjoy a hearty breakfast and hear from Portsmouth International Port Director, Mike Sellers, on the huge progress they have made to become the number one UK port in sustainability. It was great to have guests from a number of different industries including; the Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth International Port, Ferry operators shipping companies, ships agents and stevedoring companies.”

We were delighted to welcome Mike Sellers, Port Director at Portsmouth International Port, as our guest speaker. Mike shared his insight and experience with our guests, providing an interesting perspective on the port and the wider maritime industry in Portsmouth.

The location was particularly fitting given Williams Shipping’s own long-standing connection with the city. The history of Williams Shipping can be traced back to 1894, when our founder, George Williams, acquired a small Royal Navy Pinnace in Portsmouth Harbour. He later converted the vessel into a sailing barge, named ‘Spec’, beginning the journey that would eventually grow into the Williams Shipping Group we know today. 

Naval Pinnace – similar to that converted to Sailing Barge ‘Spec’

60 Meetings, Countless Conversations

While this was our first Breakfast Meeting in Portsmouth, the tradition itself dates back almost three decades.

Reflecting on the very first meeting in 1997, Colin Williams, Director, said:

“We held our very first Breakfast Meeting at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club in 1997. 35 guests attended and enjoyed a talk from the Southampton Port Director, Andrew Kent. Little did we know that 29 years later our breakfasts would be as popular as ever, and we were delighted to be welcomed in Portsmouth to host our first function at the Boathouse, with spectacular views of the Old Naval Dockyard.”

From that first meeting in Southampton to the 60th gathering in Portsmouth, our Breakfast Meetings have continued to provide an opportunity to connect with customers, businesses and organisations across the communities in which we operate. 

Reaching 60 meetings is a fantastic achievement, but it is also a reminder of the importance of maintaining the strong relationships that have been built over many years. This special Portsmouth event allowed us to extend the tradition to customers and contacts in the city and surrounding area for the first time.

We would like to thank everyone who joined us in Portsmouth for this milestone event, as well as those who have attended our Breakfast Meetings over the years.

Here’s to the next 60!