Ray grew up in a small South African community, where long days on the dairy farm and weekends fishing rivers and hiking mountains sparked his love of nature, hands-on work, and quiet persistence. That foundation, paired with an innate sense of adventure, has become the heartbeat of Commercial Marine Group, a company shaped by people, resilience, and a refusal to follow the beaten path.
His career began underwater at 17, when he became a Commercial Boat Operator and PADI Divemaster, sailing around the Red Sea. “I met people who gave everything with no expectations. It stuck with me,” he says. That love for the water never left. After stints in advertising, banking, and corporate finance in Australia, Ray joined the Royal Australian Navy Reserves as a diver. It was there, diving the Brisbane River at night, inspecting hulls and training for underwater emergencies, that the spark for his next venture really took hold.
Building CMG
In 2010, Ray launched his first business, a recreational dive training operation. But it was in 2014, after years of experience and patience, that he made the leap. Commercial Marine Group was founded with no investors, minimal debt, and a $ 150-per-week shed office.
“We had a trailer, some tools, and a belief that we could figure it out… one project and relationship at a time.”
Today, CMG collaborates with a team of over 80 specialists, operating both onshore and offshore, to deliver critical works in subsea construction, coastal engineering, erosion control, water treatment, and marine remediation nationwide.
An Agile Evolution
Since the Kingsford Smith Drive Upgrade in 2016, CMG has doubled down on systems, safety, and design-driven innovation. The launch of 3D animation capability in 2019 catapulted constructability testing to new levels, allowing stakeholders to visualise, challenge and refine before a single pile is driven. Combined with 3D printing, the team now designs and simulates even the most complex subsea environments, reducing risk and saving costs from day one.
“Most of our projects aren’t ‘vanilla’. We get the rainbows and that’s the work we love solving.”
These tools, however, are only as powerful as the people behind them. CMG has always believed in deep collaboration across disciplines — from divers and engineers to boilermakers, scientists, and finance specialists. That breadth gives CMG the agility to adapt fast when conditions, scope or stakeholder priorities shift mid-project.
Leadership, Culture, and the Real Competitive Edge
Humility, high standards, and deep accountability shape Ray’s leadership style.
“Between 6am and 4pm, I work for the team. They call, I support. They lead, I back them.”
That culture of support, combined with a strong no-blame ethos, has built a team that sticks. Many long-serving team members have grown with CMG, while recent hires from industry giants have brought new horsepower in a technical direction and scalable growth.
CMG’s secret weapon? A culture that values tough conversations, curiosity, and never settling for average.
“We talk about what went wrong. We own it. And then we figure out how to prevent it from happening again. That’s how you build trust — not just with clients, but with your own people.”
Shaping the Future: Renewables, Robotics, and Responsibility
CMG has consistently grown with the market, not just to capitalise, but to contribute. Today, the organisation is expanding into offshore renewables, oil & gas decommissioning, and coastal resilience solutions. Acquisitions like Waters Marine and Scour Tech International have helped position CMG as a turnkey provider across the full life cycle of critical marine infrastructure, from design and delivery to asset protection and environmental remediation.
Robotics, remote operations, and sustainability are at the forefront. But human intuition, trust, and trial-and-error innovation still lead the way.
Ray’s philosophy is clear: “Say yes to the hard jobs. Stay curious. Stick to your word. And build things the right way, even when it’s harder.”
