Lieutenant Commander Mark Douglas was born and raised in Masterton, New Zealand. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2005 and qualified as a Marine Engineer Officer in 2012 after completing a degree, followed by professional training in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. LCDR Douglashas served in various engineering support roles in New Zealand and the UK, and was the decommissioning Engineering Officer on HMNZS ENDEAVOUR in 2017. He currently serves as New Zealand’s Assistant Defence Advisor to Singapore, and as the New Zealand ILO to the IFCand Regional Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre.