Saildrone Names Ziegwied VP of Ocean Data

U.S.-based uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) manufacturer Saildrone said it has hired Andy Ziegwied as vice president of ocean data.

Ziegwied brings over 20 years of experience supporting oceanographic data collection and uncrewed platforms to lead Saildrone’s ocean data division, growing its capabilities and infrastructure.

“Saildrones have revolutionized access to our oceans, enabling ocean data collection at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. We have worked tirelessly with scientists from all over the world to push our technology to new extremes, while collecting climate quality data. Andy is the ideal person to take our proven technology to the next level, scaling our data missions around the globe,” said Richard Jenkins Saildrone CEO and founder.

Ziegwied comes to Saildrone from L3Harris Technologies, Inc (formerly ASV Global) where he has been delivering uncrewed commercial, scientific, and defense solutions, overcoming customer and societal acceptance through regulatory uncertainties over the past five years. Prior to L3Harris, he provided integrated instrumentation solutions as vice president of ocean science of the international MacArtney Underwater Technology Group. His background includes application engineering with instrument manufacturer Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. and oceanographic fieldwork and project management with Evans-Hamilton, Inc. 

Ziegwied holds a bachelor’s degree in oceanography from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing an MBA in executive leadership at Oregon State University. He is the chair of the Marine Technology Society Uncrewed Maritime Systems Committee and serves on the AUVSI Cascade Chapter Board and Maritime Advocacy Committee. He is also an industry member representative for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership.

“Saildrone’s cost-effective, environmentally-friendly wind and solar-powered ocean drones support 24/7/365 autonomous mission-as-a-service operations that will increase observations in priority areas of ocean science where action is urgently needed, collecting ocean data in temporal and spatial scales not yet realized to feed data-starved models,” said Ziegwied.

“I have spent my career supporting operational oceanography and ocean observations through instrumentation, integrated systems, and uncrewed platforms. This is the right company at the right time, delivering the data we need for the oceans we want—without risking human health and safety. I am proud to join Saildrone and excited to continue supporting the ocean science community with an innovative and sustainable company.”