Robert Lewis-Manning
Robert Lewis-Manning, OMM, CD, MBA, is a strategic advisor, maritime executive, and retired senior officer of the Royal Canadian Navy based in Victoria, British Columbia. As the founder of Lewman Strategies, he advises founders, executive teams, and public-sector leaders on strategic planning, government relations, regulatory affairs, and partnership development across the marine, defence, and public-policy sectors.
Strategic Advisory Practice
Robert founded Lewman Strategies to bring CEO-level counsel to organizations navigating complex public issues. His practice spans strategic planning, business planning and market evaluation, federal and provincial regulatory engagement, project management, government relations and advocacy, partnership and business development, interim leadership, and investment advisory. He works directly with principals, assembling purpose-built teams drawn from a broad network of expert colleagues rather than a fixed roster, so that every engagement brings the precise mix of policy, legal, financial, and sector expertise the challenge demands.
His advisory work is grounded in a conviction that the most complex public issues are solved by people who listen first, who understand the landscape of interests and relationships at play, and who have the credibility to bring diverse parties toward common ground. Clients include start-ups and established businesses across the marine, clean-technology, and public sectors. He has supported emerging ventures through SFU VentureLabs, where early-stage companies are coached and accelerated, and he brings a founder’s practical edge to his counsel, having led a clean-tech start-up of his own — pioneering technology to sanitize and manage ship waste streams and building the venture from concept through regulatory approval, commercialization, and acquisition.
Port and Harbour Leadership
Robert served as Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, a non-profit organization stewarding a $400M multi-use asset portfolio that includes a deepwater industrial terminal and the number one destination port for cruise ships in Canada. In that role he led a board-mandated transformation of the portfolio, delivering substantial revenue growth and profitability improvement within a single fiscal year.
His tenure was marked by a deliberate shift from consultation toward economic equity with Indigenous communities — work that earned the organization a Gold-level Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations from the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business and reflected two First Nations rights-holders within its governance structure. He championed shore power and marine electrification, stewarding tens of millions of dollars in federal and provincial funding to cut emissions from idling vessels, and advocated Canada’s first marine conservation agreement to protect endangered whales, securing the support of three federal departments. During the COVID-19 pandemic he led the national Supply Chain Resiliency Task Force, negotiating the first seafarer vaccination program with Public Health and Transport Canada and helping prevent a shutdown of Western Canada’s maritime gateway.
National Maritime Industry Leadership
Before the Harbour Authority, Robert was President of the Chamber of Shipping, representing Canada’s domestic and international shipping industry on matters of policy, regulation, and trade. In that capacity he engaged the International Maritime Organization on global maritime regulatory matters and provided expert testimony before parliamentary committees on supply chain resilience, the Canada Shipping Act, and the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.
He served as lead strategic architect for amendments to the Canada Shipping Act, influencing national legislation for greater accountability, flexibility, and safety, and represented the industry in precedent-setting regulatory matters, including a landmark challenge before the United States District Court that overturned a federal regulatory decision and reshaped maritime regulatory precedent. His industry leadership extended to the Canadian Shipowners Association, where, as head of a national shipowners association, he advanced the interests of domestic vessel operators and championed Canadian-flagged shipping, coastal trade, and the conditions for a competitive domestic marine sector.
Royal Canadian Navy Service
A retired senior officer of the Royal Canadian Navy, Robert served in a range of command, staff, and operational appointments over a decades-long career. He commanded HMCS Vancouver, a Halifax-class frigate, leading the ship and its crew through complex operations at home and abroad, and he held senior staff responsibilities at Maritime Headquarters Pacific, where fleet operations, readiness, and maritime surveillance for the Pacific region were coordinated.
His naval career included heading a 1,200-person humanitarian relief mission in Central America in response to devastating floods, and leading the operational planning and implementation of an international maritime surveillance and contingency plan for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, coordinating across provincial and federal agencies. A recipient of the Order of Military Merit — one of Canada’s highest military honours — and the Canadian Forces’ Decoration, he carries into his advisory practice the operational discipline, risk judgement, and leadership instincts forged in command at sea.
Governance and Board Service
Robert’s governance experience spans crown, non-profit, and industry boards. He currently serves as President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, a non-profit organization stewarding Canada’s Pacific maritime heritage, where he has advanced a major new revenue partnership and governance reform.
He has served on the boards of industry associations, crown corporations, and community organizations, bringing to each a focus on financial sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and strategic clarity. His governance philosophy is shaped by his experience leading both large asset portfolios and member-driven associations — he understands the distinct accountabilities of a board to its owners, its regulators, and the communities it serves, and he helps boards move from oversight toward genuine strategic partnership with their executive teams.
Education and Recognition
Robert holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and complemented his military and executive education with advanced study at Royal Roads University and Dalhousie University. His contributions have been recognized with the Order of Military Merit (OMM) and the Canadian Forces’ Decoration (CD), and his record of accomplishment spans national policy reform, Indigenous economic equity, clean-technology innovation, and sustainable maritime governance.
He is a frequent commentator on marine transportation, supply chain resilience, and public policy, and he continues to mentor emerging leaders and ventures across Canada’s blue economy. Based in Victoria, British Columbia, he advises founders, executives, and public-sector leaders on strategy, government relations, and partnership development.
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