The very first thing Stuart Rivers did when he took over as chief executive of the Sailors’ Society was to look at its constitution and what it should be doing.

He concluded it was fulfilling only part of its mandate and he set about extending the reach and range of its activities.

The organisation underwent a detailed review during his first 12 months at the helm, Rivers himself travelling widely to see “what was happening on the front line” instead of initially appointing someone responsible for overseas activities.