Dr Stephen M. Payne OBE RDI MNM was appointed Chief Designer of Queen Mary 2 in 1998. From 2004-2010 he was Vice President Chief Naval Architect of Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding based in Southampton. He is now Principal Consultant of PFJ-Maritime Consulting Ltd.

Stephen was President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects from 2007-2010 and he was awarded the OBE in 2004 for Services to Shipping. He has also been awarded the Merchant Navy Medal in and is a Freeman of the City of London. In January 2006 The Royal Academy of Engineering awarded him with the Academy’s first Special Achievement Award.