Meet Steve Maddison, Head of Support, Quality & Compliance at 90POE

As Head of Support & Quality Manager at 90POE, Steve brings over 25 years of experience in IT service delivery, quality systems, and compliance. At OpenOcean STUDIO, he’s helping to shape a platform that’s not only agile and user-focused, but also grounded in strong standards of security and quality. 

In this blog, Steve shares his journey from customer support to quality management, the significance of achieving ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, and how building a unified Business Management System ensures that every decision prioritises both high quality and robust information security. 

You have worked in various operations and quality roles over the years. What drew you to the field of quality and compliance in the maritime industry?  

Over the past 25+ years, I have held a range of customer-facing roles in IT service delivery across multiple industries. I’ve been fortunate to work at every level of service quality—from frontline support and service management to involvement in ISO audits, improving existing systems, and building new Quality Management Systems (QMS) from the ground up to ensure ongoing compliance. 

What drew me to 90POE was the opportunity to apply this experience to a new challenge: creating a fully integrated Quality and Information Security Management System in a fast-paced, SaaS-based environment, within an industry that plays a vital role in global trade. The appeal was not only in building something new but doing so in a way that would complement the business’s existing momentum, rather than slow it down. 

OpenOcean STUDIO has achieved both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, a major milestone. What does this achievement mean for the platform and our clients?

What I appreciate most about the ISO framework is its flexibility. It defines the standards you must meet but allows you to tailor the implementation to suit your organisation. At 90POE, this meant we could build processes that not only meet the requirements of the standards but genuinely enhance the experience of our clients. 

Achieving ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 ensures that we deliver high-quality software with data security at its core, without compromising our agility or speed of delivery. These certifications demonstrate that we’ve embedded quality and security into how we work, from product development to client support. For our clients, it’s a reassurance that their data is protected, and that OpenOcean STUDIO is built and maintained with long-term reliability and continuous improvement in mind. 

What were some key steps or principles that helped OpenOcean STUDIO meet the standards for certification, and how do you plan to maintain that level of quality and security moving forward? 

From the beginning, the focus was on pursuing certification for the right reasons. Not simply to obtain a certificate, but to build a framework that delivers genuine value. That made a significant difference. 

Rather than designing a Management System purely to meet ISO requirements, we began by closely examining how the business already operated. We then developed a system that aligned with those realities. No window dressing, just a practical and honest foundation for continual improvement. 

Fortunately, 90POE was already operating with solid core practices, which made it easier to integrate ISO principles. We embraced a mindset not just of compliance, but of progression—embedding regular planning, measurement, and improvement cycles into our day-to-day work. Certification was just the beginning; maintaining it means ongoing evaluation, feedback, and a constant focus on evolving with the needs of the business and our clients. 

Looking ahead, what opportunities or challenges do you see in the areas of support and quality management as maritime tech shifts further toward digital platforms? 

Strong foundations are key: and that’s exactly what our Business Management System provides. It enables us to stay focused on our clients’ needs while continuing to grow and innovate. 

As the maritime industry embraces digital transformation, the expectations around system reliability, data security, and user experience are only going to increase. The challenge will be to maintain agility while scaling support operations and staying ahead of regulatory changes. But with a flexible, standards-based approach, we are well positioned to meet those challenges, delivering high-quality, secure platforms that adapt as our clients do.