February 2024 Business Bulletin - Digital and Innovation

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FEBRUARY 2024 | DIGITAL AND INNOVATION

North-east economy set to outperform the rest of UK New report by AGCC and Gilson Gray shows positive outlook for region.

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Why we need to grab a slice of £110bn industry TV production is transforming regions of the UK... why not ours?

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Aberdeen emerging as a ‘must visit’ cruise destination Miami, Barcelona, Venice… and now Aberdeen?

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Exclusive:

First minister launches brand new Chamber podcast 1.

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Sponsored by:

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CONTENTS

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce The Hub Exploration Drive Aberdeen Energy Park Bridge of Don Aberdeen AB23 8GX _

Contents FEBRUARY 2024

Focus on Digital and innovation

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T 01224 343900 E info@agcc.co.uk www.agcc.co.uk Affiliated Chambers Moray _

Bulletin Team

Life begins at 40: The rise of Aberdeen’s tech maestro

Editor Ryan Crighton

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T 01224 343926 E bulletin@agcc.co.uk Advertising Pauline Western T 01224 343919 E pauline.western@agcc.co.uk Design & production Andrew Taylor T 01224 343934 E production@agcc.co.uk

AI Guru heading to Aberdeen for UMF 2024

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Editorial Cody Mowbray T 01224 343936 E cody.mowbray@agcc.co.uk Journalist Finlay Jack T 01224 343939 E finlay.jack@agcc.co.uk

Openreach chief on ‘sexy and cool’ broadband

Regulars

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POLICY UPDATE

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TRAINING CALENDAR Upcoming courses

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WORD OF ADVICE

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ON THE MOVE Who is going places in the region?

50 3.

VIEWPOINT

North-east economy set to outperform the rest of the UK As companies in the Northeast of Scotland look ahead to 2024, they do so with increasing levels of optimism, which is confirmed in the new edition of our Quarterly Economic Survey, which we publish alongside our partners at Gilson Gray.

Almost one third (31%) of companies both in this region and across the country expect to see increased domestic sales into 2024.

Interestingly though, just 19% of North-east firms expect to see a decline compared to 25% nationally.

The headline is that half of companies in this region expect their profits to grow in 2024, with Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire set to outperform the rest of the UK over the next 12 months.

Firms here growing faster, with 38% expecting staff numbers to increase in 2024 against 31% nationally.

This edition of the report also concludes that companies in the region are bullish about their prospects this year as inflationary pressures ease.

And while 76% of firms nationally reported difficulties in recruiting suitable staff, this was lower in our region at 71%.

For me, there are four key themes that stand out in this quarter’s data.

However, while 51% of UK companies said they had difficulty in finding candidates for skilled manual and technical staff, this figure is higher in the Aberdeen region at 64%.

(1) THE NORTH-EAST REMAINS AN EXPORT POWERHOUSE

(4) COST PRESSURES REMAIN HIGHER IN THIS REGION

The latest data, again, reaffirms the status of our region as an export powerhouse. 36% reported international sales growth in Q4 (28% nationally) and just 9% reported declining sales (v 24% UK wide).

One of the most startling differences between the regional and UK data comes when we look at upward cost pressures on businesses. In almost every metric, North-east firms are feeling the heat more than peers nationally.

And 32% of North-east respondents are forecasting growth this year in overseas activity (26% UK) with just 10% of regional firms expecting this to decline (v 25% nationally).

Most marked are fuel 66% (37% UK) and labour costs 79% (67% UK).

(2) TURNOVER AND PROFITABILITY OUTLOOK North-east businesses are more confident than their UK peers about turnover and profitability growth in 2024. 58% expect revenues to increase (v 56% nationally) and 50% are forecasting profit growth (47% UK).

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(3) RECRUITMENT

Inflation remains the largest growth constraint nationally although this is being felt marginally less in this region. However, North-east firms are more concerned about interest rates, taxation and business rates than the UK as a whole.

THE NATIONAL PICTURE Only 24% of firms increased investment in plant/machinery/ equipment during the quarter while 19% decreased spending on this.

Most of the survey responses were

already received before the Autumn Statement, so it will be interesting to see any impact from the announcement around full capital allowances expensing relief in the Q1 2024 data.

At a sector level, B2B/services businesses displayed significantly greater confidence and future investment intention than manufacturing, retail and hospitality firms - the latter continuing to fare very badly since the pandemic with nearly a third (32%) of respondents reporting a decrease in investment.

Despite the recent slowing, inflation remains the biggest current concern for businesses with 58% citing this as an issue, however this is down from 80% a year ago. And recent better news on interest rates has seen companies concerned about borrowing costs reduce to 39% (from 45% in Q3).

WHAT NEXT? It is clear from the data we are seeing that there is a growing confidence among companies in the North-east – and almost three quarters of the firms we surveyed are exporting their goods or services, underlining the global demand for our products and expertise.

However, for all of the positives, it is obvious that the UK is still teetering on the brink of a recession.

We need imaginative plans for enabling economic growth, something which needs to be front and centre of the forthcoming election campaign.

You can rest assured that we will be engaging with political parties of all colours on your behalf to ensure that happens.

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PREMIER PARTNERS

Our premier partners The Chamber sits at the heart of the North-east business community, and one of our core aims is to help create the economic conditions and business environment which will allow this region to flourish.

Our premier partners see the value of a strong regional Chamber and choose to engage with us at this level to reinforce their ongoing commitment to the region and its economy.

Without their support we would not be able to undertake much of the work that we do. Their engagement is hugely valued and appreciated.

If you are interested in joining them, we’d love to talk to you!

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Argosy, coating specialists since 1992.

Working in the demanding Oil & Gas industry we respect and work closely with our customer to deliver engineered coating solutions to meet their challenges and protect the asset while reducing expensive reworks and costly down time.

Quick Facts • Coatings applied Right First Time.

• Unrivalled Quality & Service.

• Experienced personnel.

• Approved Copper Plating of Premium Connections.

• NACE approved applicator of surface & subsea paint systems.

• Protective Coatings & Surface Treatment.

• Deliver one-stop-shop solutions to multiple coating challenges on complex geometric components.

• Work to military and industry standards, customer detailed specifications and engineered drawings.

• Deliver the latest coating technologies, to meet the increasing demands of the changing environment.

• Use quality approved and certified products from reputable international approved suppliers.

• Application: Corrosion Protection; Anti-galling; Friction Control, Aesthetics.

• Coatings: Paint, Phosphate, Xylan & PTFE, Molykote, Copper.

• Blast & Shot peen.

Chris Daley chris@argosycoatings.com 01224 704788 | 07961719810 www.argosycoatings.com Joseph House, Denmore Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen AB23 8JW 7.

WELCOME TO THE CHAMBER

Welcome to the Chamber Randox Health

LeoHills UK Ltd

Established in 1982, Randox is the largest healthcare diagnostics company from the UK and Ireland. For over 40 years Randox have been focusing on the provision of timely and accurate proteomic and genomic testing to identify risk to health and promote preventative healthcare.

LeoHills UK Ltd reduce the gap between Scottish growers and Egyptian farmers through full commitment to produce and export best quality of Scottish seed potatoes to Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

T 07436 588798 W www.randoxhealth.com E Paul.Forrest@randox.com C Paul Forrest, Business Development Executive

Malmaison Hotel Aberdeen Malmaison Aberdeen is a lively beacon that effortlessly mixes style and comfort. Housing 79 unique bedrooms and suites. It is a stone’s throw from the city centre - the ideal spot for every kind of escape. Unwind in the luxurious hotel spa, conduct business in style in fully equipped meeting spaces, enjoy a nightcap at its stylish bar, or tease your palate at the fabulous Malmaison Bar & Grill.

T 01224 327370 W www.malmaison.com/locations/aberdeen E erankin@malmaison.com C Ewa Rankin, Sales Manager

Precise Communications Precise is a specialist provider of strategic public relations, marketing and copywriting services that add value to clients’ businesses as they look to grow. Working as an extension of your team, Precise provides trusted counsel to help protect and enhance the company’s profile and reputation in its key target markets.

T 01224 900023 W wwww.precisecomms.co.uk E graeme@precisecomms.co.uk C Graeme Forbes, Director

NRG Group

Arbikie Highland Estate & Distillery Arbikie is on a journey to being one of the world’s most sustainable distilleries, distilling the world’s first climate-positive gin and the first Rye Scotch Whisky for 200 years. Arbikie will soon become the world’s first green hydrogen-powered distillery and its Distillery Experience at stunning Lunan Bay is a must visit.

T 01241 830770 W arbikie.com E info@arbikie.com C Nicki Baker

Process & Pipeline Services Limited Pipeline pre-commissioning services includes line integrity validation to a variety of pipeline codes; product commissioning; flooding; and cleaning and drying new lines to reduce corrosion, improve efficiency, and maximizing throughput. This may include pipeline inspection and integrity services.

W www.bakerhughes.com/process-pipeline-services E Amit.bawa@bakerhughes.com Michael.Webb2@bakerhughes.com C Amit Bawa, Global Logistics & Customs Leader Michael Webb, Logistics Specialist

Oilfast Ltd

The NRG Group provides well integrity, engineering, and project management services to the upstream oil and gas industry. The NRG Group companies combine to form a complete managerial and technical package for upstream oil and gas well delivery.

Oilfast is a reliable national supplier of diesel, gas oil, kerosene, marine fuel, industrial heating oil and HVO. Operating locally from depots at Insch, Forfar and the Aberdeen and Inverness fuel terminals. Oilfast is an authorised distributor of Shell lubricant oils and an Adblue manufacturer and wholesaler.

T 07809 708906 W nrg-group.com E gadmin@nrgltd.com C Daniel Mackay, Managing Director Jo McGregor, Managing Director

T 07708 870848 W www.oilfast.co.uk E peter.croll@oilfast.co.uk C Peter Croll, Business Development Manager

Namaka Compliance

Safety Inspection Compliance Services

Namaka Compliance have a real USP of outsourced competence assurance support (OCAS) services.

Namaka Compliance act as the competence arm of organisations who look to focus on their day-to-day to operations within the energy sector.

T 01224 289766 W www.namakacompliance.com E jmurphy@namakacompliance.com C Jamie Murphy

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T 07932 561330 E leohillsuk@gmail.com

A Scottish based RFID/NFC digital asset management solution supplying hardware/software designed with multiple industries in mind. We guarantee our products will save money and manhours whilst additionally improving control and visibility of assets allowing regulatory compliance with ease.

T 0800 118 2281 07984 317433 W www.safetyinspectioncomplianceservices.co.uk E Management@scicservices.co.uk C Garry Hunter

WELCOME TO THE CHAMBER

Unity Well Integrity

CMD Coatings

Europe’s largest independent provider of well integrity, intervention and decommissioning technologies, services and solutions for the offshore energies industry. Unity combines a full range of wellhead inspection and maintenance services, unique in-house engineered solutions and innovative technology designed to reduce operating costs, improve performance, optimise production and de-risk abandonment.

CMD Coatings Ltd has three main divisions. The first being its auto body shop, second being its bullet liner polyurea coating and third being its lanoshield anticorrosion coating.

T 01224 937600 W www.unitywell.com E enquiries@unitywell.com C Stuart Slater, Technical Sales Director

Aberdeen Appointments Agency (AAA) Aberdeen Appointments Agency’s track record spanning over 45 years has informed its best practice model, working in partnership with your team to deliver the right resourcing solutions. Its extensive knowledge of today’s market allows us to provide the highest standard of services to clients and candidates.

T 07518 958260 W www.cmdcoatings.com E colin.duncan@cmdcoatings.com C Colin Duncan

MISS Miscarriage Support A registered charity to support women and partners who have experienced a miscarriage and early ababyloss throughout North-east Scotland.

T 07808 638428 (for support) 07597 584258 (for enquiries) W www.miss-support.org.uk E info@miss-support.org.uk C Abi Clarke / Victoria Goldie

T 01224 211211 W www.aaajobs.co.uk E grant.alexander@aaajobs.co.uk C Grant Alexander

Sigma Electrical Export UK Ltd Sigma Electrical Export UK Ltd is a hazardous area and specialist electrical distributor.

T 01224 539880 W www.sigmaexport.co.uk E d.eager@sigmaexport.co.uk C Dan Eager

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9.

FEATURE

Life begins at 40 The rise of Aberdeen’s tech maestro When Jeanette Forbes moved to Aberdeen with her late husband in the 1980s, she - by her own admission - wasn’t much of a tech genius.

to do or how we were going to survive back then. We didn’t have any direction whatsoever; we just knew family was important and we needed to help.

“Thinking back, I wasn’t doing anything different to what anybody else was doing or could do. All I used to do was Ctrl, Alt, Delete, and start the computer again and it worked.”

“I landed a job at ARI communications centre because I knew the phonetic alphabet of all things.

Her bluntness and candidness is refreshing for a woman who was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2022, before receiving honorary degrees from both of Aberdeen’s universities within five days of one another less than a year later.

“I started as a receptionist, progressing my way through my career path and I always remember this particular chap who I worked with said to me ‘have you ever thought of going into technology?’

“That’s how it all started. He did kind of sew that seed and say you need to do something in technology.”

Jeanette, originally from Halifax in West Yorkshire, has made Aberdeen her home for most of her life. It’s a city she holds dear to her heart and, with a number of successful companies across sectors to her name, a place she’s giving back to.

“My late husband was Aberdonian, and I moved here with him when his parents became elderly. We lived with his parents when we first arrived in Aberdeen, we didn’t have a home, we didn’t have jobs or schools for our children, and we didn’t know what we were going 10.

“I was on the switchboard and back then ARI managed all the hospitals. I remember this particular night, which was July 6, and I had just gone onto a night shift. My colleague and I were just getting set up for our night shift when we took the first call from Piper Alpha. The events from that night is something I’ve never forgotten.”

Like most, July 6, 1988, had an enormous impact on Jeanette.

“I remember saying to myself, ‘I’ve got to put something back into this city and sector’. I just knew I wanted to give something back because of what I’d experienced that night.”

And put something back she did, but not without years of hard work first.

“I went away and studied, because, apart from home economics, religious education and English, I had no other A-levels. I couldn’t study through the day at university because I had children, so I went to night school and qualified there.

“Then I went and worked for a company who was starting to get really engaged in tech. I took some knocks, some real hard knocks through that initial career path.

If I don’t try, I’ll be forever wondering what it’s like to run your own tech business.

“I found out that one of my male colleagues who was doing the same work as me was earning £26,000 and I was earning £12,000, when I approached the HR department to ask why, they said that my salary was based upon the receptionist job description as they did not know what to pay me. I moved to another company because I was so disappointed to find this out.

“I was headhunted very quickly and started working for a new company and then some years later was made redundant and then said, ‘that’s it’.”

FEATURE

‘Life begins at 40’, as the adage goes. And it was no different for Jeanette.

Giving back to Aberdeen is important to Jeanette. While money helps, she knows that time is priceless.

Start-ups, especially in tech, are by no means a young person’s game, as some may believe.

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the two richest men in tech, are worth a combined $400billion according to Forbes. They were in their 30s when they started up their respective companies. Steve Jobs was 52 by the time the first iPhone was launched, arguably Apple’s most successful product.

Jeanette, 40 by the time she launched PCL, was perhaps the perfect age.

“I was just going to give it my best shot, and if it fails, nobody can say that I haven’t tried. But if I don’t try, I’ll be forever wondering what it’s like to run your own tech business.

Do I still get excited by technology?

You want to bet I do.

“I gave Belmont Cinema office space here so they can have their meetings.

“It’s a really key asset. I couldn’t help them financially at this time, but I can give them office space and they now use it as a registered address too, so small contributions via another means can really help to get initiatives off the ground.

“Bob Keiller is doing a great job at Our Union Street, he just needs more support and the business community needs to get right behind him if we want to see change.”

“I started PCL Group and then very quickly it just took off.”

The company very quickly “grew arms and legs”, she added.

“We moved into the city from Portlethen in 2007 and started working down at Regent Quay in a three-story building at that time.

“Then, nearly two years ago, we moved into 14 Golden Square and we actually bought the building, which is a huge step for any business. I see it as a commitment to the city that says thank you for supporting us and we’re now here to stay.

“It’s key that you give back to a city that you take from, absolutely key,” Jeanette said.

Now in her 60s, her passion and love for the Granite City has never wavered.

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FEATURE

Employing people in Aberdeen is also central to most things Jeanette does.

PCL employs dozens of staff in itself, but it’s not her only venture.

“I’ve also invested heavily in other businesses in sectors that I knew nothing about, for instance, with Grape and Grain (Aberdeen’s upmarket wine bar).

“For me, entrepreneurship is about creating jobs. It’s about being able to create jobs that grow the economy and change people’s lives.

“There are other technology companies getting off the ground, but none that have the history or success story of PCL. It’s been a very tough journey, but I would not change it for anything as with every hard-knock, it is what you learned from the experience that matters.

“I see the company in another 10 years, when I’m perhaps not at the helm, progressing under the people that I’ve got here.

“I tend to call them my technical geniuses, because each and every one of them has his or her own strength or weakness which creates a very diverse team.

You don’t have to look any further than the Forbes name for that

succession. “My two children work for me and I’m incredibly proud of them. Chris is the Operations Director and Joanne the Finance Director.”

The pride Jeanette has for her staff extends beyond just her children too, no-one is treated any differently, family member or not.

“Adam Wilson, who came to us and spoke to us when he had Live Evolution, asked: ‘how can you help us?’

“He said it was the Chamber who told him to come and speak to the PCL group.

“We’d actually started to move into that area in ourselves. We were already installing screens, and monitors, so it wasn’t something that was new to us.

“My son, Chris, and Adam had a conversation and then they approached myself.

“It sounded like a perfect fit and look at him now. I am so proud of this guy when I look at what he’s doing with his team, and how he’s developing it and he’s really engaged with it. He’s really embraced the fact that he can do this.”

After recently returning to Aberdeen from Pakistan where she is the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Ambassador to Pakistan, there really is no grass growing beneath her feet and she continues to take Scotland and Aberdeen to the world.

“We need to look much further now if we want our economy and people to grow in a world full of opportunity, diversity and culture and this is a great way to start any next business chapter,” she added.

While Jeanette’s love and passion for PCL continues to grow, it’s her governmental role where she sees her future.

“I don’t think, in the next five years, I’ll be running PCL. I would like to get more into governmental stuff, where I am somebody that’s bringing business to Scotland or bringing business to Aberdeen.

“Do I still get excited by technology? You want to bet I do.

“I really enjoy the challenges, I’m always very interested in innovation but I think from where I see myself with the remit for Pakistan, it’s something I can really work hard at.

“I would love to be able to see people coming here, putting down roots here, bringing investment here, creating jobs here.”

NEWS

Local funeral directors celebrate 20th anniversary Local, independently owned funeral directors, Mark Shaw Funeral Services, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Since being launched in 2004, and employing one parttime member of staff, Mark Shaw Funeral Services now has two locations. The original George Street office, after subsequent refurbishments remains available for families to arrange funerals and visit their loved ones. The site at 26 Abbotswell Crescent, Kincorth offers the same, has onsite car parking, a Chapel where services can be held and

a purpose-built mortuary and embalming suite where the deceased are looked after as per the families wishes.

Mark Shaw Funeral Services has grown to a team of 10 highly skilled professionals who take great pride in their work. This can range from arranging pre planned funerals, arranging funerals and taking care of the deceased from the initial call to their final resting place.

Mark Shaw commented: “Having seen the business grow from 2004 to today, is something that I am incredibly proud of. But the best reward is knowing that we have supported a family at a difficult time to arrange the funeral as they wanted it. My team are here to provide the highest level of funeral care to the bereaved and their loved ones.”

www.cyberlock.co.uk

Your cyber specialist consultancy CyberLock is an integrator for all things Cyber Security, Information Assurance and Incident Management. We provide a full range of services and offer advice that companies can use to reduce their Cyber threat.

Our team have carried out over 250 Cyber Assessments and have the industry respected qualifications and more importantly the experience to simplify Cyber security for all organisations.

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Transforming your Microsoft digital strategy Empower Your Business with Control and Confidence.

Empower Your People with M365 Skills We deliver a range of results driven learning activities to assist you with your M365 Digital Transformation, from fully managed Digital Champions Programmes to bespoke User Workshops and more.

Future-proof Your Business Strategy We specialise in advising businesses in how to integrate and leverage Microsoft cloud and to quantify investment. From assessing current processes areas for improvement, mapping out desired outcomes with a long term strategic roadmap for change.

Streamline Your Workflows Digitally enhance processes can bring huge benefits; operational efficiency, improved compliance, ability to input data on the go, get real time insights into risks and make training and competency skill visible. Creating joined up integrated systems.

Secure Your Data Improper installation of M365 can leave your data vulnerable. We offer a robust strategy to safeguard your business data, ensuring its security and integrity without compromise.

NEWS

Lathallan School receives national recognition Lathallan School has been awarded the Gold Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) quality mark by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC), making it the only all-through school in Scotland to currently hold this Gold LOtC Mark. This award comes just a couple of years after Lathallan was awarded UK Small Independent School of the Year 2021.

Richard Toley, Headmaster at Lathallan School said: “We’re so pleased to get this official recognition from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. This award is a nod to the collective efforts and passion that our school community put into creating a truly inspirational educational environment for our young people at Lathallan.

“While going through the LOtC assessment we reflected on our LOtC provision and proudly shared over 200 LOtC experiences that our pupils had been exposed to in the last two terms alone.

“Learning outside the classroom has been a feature of the educational provision at Lathallan for several decades and the value is widely recognised by pupils, parents, teaching staff and various outside agencies including Education Scotland. It is not just about learning outside in the fresh air or outdoor education; it encompasses the valuable learning experiences that occur in any setting outside of the classroom across the whole curriculum.

“This Gold LOtC Mark signifies our commitment to providing our pupils from six weeks to 18 years with opportunities to explore, discover, and grow beyond the traditional classroom walls.”

The LOtC Mark is awarded by the CLOtC, the UK-wide charity that champions all learning that happens beyond the classroom. Its work supports educators, schools and organisations who are dedicated to ensuring more children and young people have opportunities for life-changing learning experiences beyond the classroom, whether these happen indoors or outdoors, close to home or far away.

The many benefits of LOtC are now well-evidenced and include improving academic attainment, physical health, emotional well-being, self-esteem, and resilience.

Empirisys collaborates with Step Change in Safety to uncover the data that drives change A shared mission to ensure that employees return home safely from work was the driving force behind a collaboration between Step Change in Safety and data science driven process safety firm, Empirisys.

Empirisys, which combines data science capabilities with a wealth of process safety, asset, operations and engineering experience, teamed up with Step Change in Safety to design, develop and deliver a survey to assess the maturity of process safety leadership across the offshore energy industry.

Empirisys deployed their in-house intelligent survey app ‘Sense’ as the platform on which to base the survey. Built around the eight core principles of process safety, these translated into eight themes, each with a set of questions to explore the principle in depth.

Emphasis was put on designing the survey to ensure it illicited reliable data. For example, devising the correct proportion of empirical and emotional questions is important to balance factual information with subjective sentiments.

The survey was completed by 450 people, most of whom were senior industry leaders from more than 70 companies.

The scores were generally very positive, highlighting numerous areas of strength, including culture, clarity and competency; proactivity and sharing gained a significantly lower scoring.

That wealth of information was then analysed using machine learning and AI to produce a final report, jointly published and shared between Step Change in Safety and Empirisys.

To read the report visit: www.stepchangeinsafety.net/resources

MEET THE MEMBERS

30 countries providing individual services that address our client’s logistics challenges. Our global energy logistics services are managed from hubs in Houston, TX, Aberdeen and the Middle East.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Energy, renewables, engineering and manufacturing, FMC, and automotive industries.

Adam Demus,

Business Development Manager, Crane Worldwide Logistics

When was your business established?

Crane Worldwide Logistics is a 3PL that started from scratch in 2008 headquartered in Houston, Texas.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

The global economy is in a state of flux as geopolitical pressures are leading businesses to re-evaluate their manufacturing sources and global supply chain efficiencies. Whilst this is a challenge for many, we believe that working hand in hand with your supply chain partners can lead to efficient processes that will be sustainable for business now and in the future.

What does your business do?

We are a leader in supply chain solutions with over 130 locations across

Our goal is to ensure anyone that needs support and assistance with paperwork, compliance and knowledge obtains it simply and effectively.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Sue Wright,

Managing Director, Exporter Services

When was your business established?

2009.

What does your business do?

We are a training and support service for international movement of goods.

16.

We work with manufacturers mainly.

Often, they need support to move cargo, generate paperwork or obtain payments against Letters of Credit.

Whatever anyone needs, we have a strong team that are happy and willing to assist straight way.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

Finding people with the right approach, being able to communicate and wanting to learn. International trade is extremely short of people to put into this type of role and unfortunately is not promoted as a career. The subject would benefit from colleges and higher education examining this subject as a growth area for young people. Raise profile and awareness.

And the biggest opportunity?

The greatest opportunity is to be part of a client’s ‘rethink’ with regards to supply chain optimisation. Crane Worldwide prides itself on connecting with shippers who require tailored supply chain solutions backed up by our market-leading technology and best-in-class service.

What are you most passionate and proud of when it comes to your business?

Our people, our global reach and starting a 3PL from scratch with organic growth in partnership with our clients.

What has been most valuable to you as members of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce?

Connection with the local market in Aberdeen & Grampian, networking, increasing awareness of Crane Worldwide’s capabilities and meeting new potential clients and partners.

And the biggest opportunity?

We are expanding rapidly as more and more businesses look for support. Our team needs to expand for the support that we offer to continue to grow. Our customers are our priority and the service they receive is second to none.

We have built the entire business on word of mouth and have retained our customers for many years.

What are you most passionate and proud of when it comes to your business?

I am most passionate about the business when customers say “thank you” and we know we have helped them out of a jam. They come back over and over again because they know the service they receive makes them feel special.

I am proud of our team too – they are dynamic and the ethos of customer service runs through them. We have developed and trained new employees who had never worked in the industry, and they have grasped the knowledge really well. They are what make the business as special and as unique as it is.

MEET THE MEMBERS

What does your business do?

ISN Solutions deliver premium, enterprise-grade managed IT services - covering support, security, solutions and strategy, to UK businesses across multiple sectors. We are a certified Microsoft Solutions Partner with specific focus on the Microsoft Cloud.

We support our customers to operate effectively and efficiently across their organisation and remote workforce, both UK-wide and globally.

Neil Burr,

Commercial Manager, ISN Solutions

When was your business established?

ISN Solutions was established in 1999.

We have been headquartered in Aberdeen for several years, following the acquisitions of Virtual Stream and Skibo Technologies. We have a UK-wide workforce, with resource and presence also located in Edinburgh, Manchester and London.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Our managed service customers are UK-based SMBs/SMEs and organisations from a variety of sectors.

They each experience the same challenges with their IT environment and the needs of the ever-evolving modern workplace. Our role to is to enable them to focus on their business and goals, whilst we provide the expertise as-a-service to optimise their IT budget and deliver their IT objectives.

Aberdeen office in November 2021 and the recent receipt of a King’s Award for Enterprise in the field of International Trade earlier this year.

What does your business do?

Fiona Booth,

Finance & HR Director, Load Monitoring Systems

When was your business established?

LMS was established by Managing Director Kirk Anderson and Sales Director Millar Kennedy in 2016. Since then, the team has forged an excellent reputation driven by commitment to innovation. Notable milestones have included doubling the size of the

We specialise in the design, manufacture, sales, rental and calibration of intelligent lifting equipment and load monitoring products and services, including load cells, line tension units, winch monitoring, air moving systems, digital pad eye testers and crane safety instrumentation.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

LMS products are used in a wide range of sectors including energy, renewables, subsea, decommissioning, aquaculture, entertainment, and construction.

Overseas trade accounts for 50%+ of the company’s revenue, with the business providing global support to 45+ countries on five continents.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

Our current challenge we have is enhancing our visibility and ensuring that local companies across the Northeast are aware of the specialised and tailored IT services that we offer, and the tangible benefits that we can bring to their organisation. We have the track record, experience and the technical expertise already, we now have to increase the awareness of ISN Solutions.

And the biggest opportunity?

As above. Our biggest challenge is also our biggest opportunity. We are local, trusted by some well-known Aberdeen companies and focused on delivering ‘Managed Services for the Microsoft Cloud’. Having recently joined as Commercial Manager, I will be raising the profile of ISN Solutions and promoting our specialist capabilities with organisations looking to make the best use of their IT/Microsoft expenditure.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

LMS is not immune to the challenges that most businesses are facing, however, supplier lead times and freight issues (exacerbated post-Brexit) cause us issues daily. We continue to work closely with suppliers to achieve the best outcome for our customers.

And the biggest opportunity?

The international business stage holds numerous opportunities for us, and strategies such as expansion into the US market are crucial to future success.

Setting up a new base in Houston was a major step in our business growth journey whilst opening ourselves up to an increasingly diverse range of sectors has bolstered sustainability.

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NEWS

First Bus and Openreach announce new EV charging partnership First Bus and Openreach have announced a collaboration giving the latter access to Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at Aberdeen’s First Bus depot.

The Granite City is initially one of three UK cities that will witness up to 30 Openreach EVs plug into charging points at depots while buses are in service. Glasgow and Leicester are also rolling out the initial phase of the partnership.

The EV infrastructure, which is already shared with DPD and Police Scotland, aligns with First’s ambition of reaching a zero-emission fleet by 2035.

Faizan Ahmad, Decarbonisation Programme Director at First Bus, said: “We’re excited about this collaboration, showcasing the power of teamwork to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in the communities we serve. The shift to electric is a journey for businesses nationwide, and we are offering a smart, communityfriendly solution that’s simple, effective, and benefits everyone.”

Openreach has its own ambitions to convert its diesel fleet to zero emissions by 2031, with more than 3,000 EVs currently in its fleet.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach Scotland’s Partnership Director, said: “We are excited to try a new approach with First Bus that can potentially help both our businesses. As two major fleet operators in the UK, it makes sense for us to explore the most efficient ways to power up our electric vans and buses.

“First Bus has made a massive investment in charging infrastructure and using their empty stations to juice up our vans will take pressure off public charge points. Our engineers often live in flats or apartments where charging is not yet an option, so this will make life easier for them too.

“It is all about learning and trying new, sustainable ways of working. There are many hurdles on the low carbon journey, and businesses need to join forces to overcome them, help drive wider adoption of electric vehicles and talk to government on issues like charging infrastructure availability.”

Andrew Kirkby, Head of Fleet Sustainability at BT Group, added: “We are constantly looking at new options that can help us the transition of one of the largest commercial fleets in the UK to electric vehicles, which will be vital to achieving our goal of being a carbon net zero business

by March 2031. Enabling UK-wide charging infrastructure will be a key part of how we achieve this, and we welcome trials that will help accelerate the removal of diesel vehicles from our fleet.”

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18.

NEWS

Wood to sell Ethos Energy stake as group revenue hits £4.7billion Aberdeen-headquartered Wood Group has confirmed that its revenues rose to hit $6billion (£4.7billion) in 2023.

And there is another $6.1billion of work already in the pipeline, according to a trading update released this morning.

The firm also confirmed today that it has started the process of selling the 51% stake it holds in Aberdeen-based turbine services business Ethos Energy.

Dons launch Girls Academy Aberdeen Football Club has announced the launch of its first ever Aberdeen FC Girls Academy programme.

With the continued development of Aberdeen FC Women at the heart of the club’s growth strategy, the club will now integrate girl’s teams at U18s and U16s (from January 2024) and U14s (from June 2024) to ensure girls football in the region can maintain pace with the changing standards across girls’ football in Scotland. The teams will compete in the Scottish FA’s National Academy Programme for girls.

This development will also solidify a visible pathway to first team football at Aberdeen FC, further enabling AFC to support the continued development of the girls’ game in the North-east.

The club took the historic move to establish a senior women’s side in 2018 with the team subsequently returning to SWPL1 after back-to-back promotion and they have since consolidated their place in the league. A number of Aberdeen FC Women have also turned semi-professional since 2022 with more due to commit to the club from January 2024.

“Following significant changes in the women’s and girl’s football landscape within Scotland over the past 12 months, including the SWPL league structure now operating under the SPFL umbrella, and the introduction of new criteria for girls’ development football to drive up standards by the Scottish FA, the club believes it is the right time to launch the girl’s academy”, said Director of Football, Steven Gunn.

“Over two thirds of our engagement of new players into the AFCW first team has come from AFC Ladies U18s and our partnership with AFC Ladies and this milestone move will further align us with the club’s philosophy of developing young talent and providing opportunity for all.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Aberdeen Ladies for their support, in particular, Hazel Reid (Chairperson) and her committee members, Louise Walker (Vice Chairperson) and James Low (Secretary). They have an impressive infrastructure in place at Aberdeen Ladies which I am sure will assist with a smooth integration of our new teams.”

Ken Gilmartin, Wood’s Chief Executive Officer, revealed that 40% of the group’s bidding pipeline is now from sustainable solutions, including work in hydrogen, carbon capture & storage, electrification and electricity transmission and distribution, LNG, waste to energy.

And he said that the near-10% growth in the firm’s revenues demonstrated that its strategy was “delivering”.

“We are now one year into our strategic growth journey and our results continue to show clear progress,” he said.

“We have delivered strong revenue and EBITDA growth, improved our underlying cash generation, grown our order book, and continue to see an acceleration in the proportion of sustainable solutions within our pipeline.

“We are confident that our actions, business model and strategy are delivering and look forward to giving a further update in March.”

The projects arm of the business enjoyed 10% growth to $2.5billion during 2023, thanks to “very strong growth” across the oil, gas and chemicals sectors.

Its operations also saw like-for-like revenue growth of around 7% to c$2.5billion, due to higher activity levels across the business, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.

The fourth quarter also saw Wood secure a number of major contract wins, including: • Detailed engineering design for Woodside’s Trion project, the deepest semi-submersible facility in the Gulf of Mexico • Brownfield engineering contract in Europe, helping to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for medicines • Supporting one of the world’s largest offshore clean power projects in Germany • Appointed owners’ engineer for world-leading green hydrogen project in Spain • Delivering engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services on a cost reimbursable basis for brownfield modifications for bp’s Murlach development in the North Sea • Two-year operations contract extension with Equinor in the Mariner field in the North Sea FY23 adjusted EBITDA slightly ahead of guidance at $420million to $425million, up 9%.

19.

BUSINESS LESSONS

Business lessons I’ve learned What was your first job?

Office junior.

When would you like to retire?

Now, haha! Hopefully 60.

What did you have for breakfast?

Iced brown sugar oat shaken espresso (if you know you know!)

Who, or what, inspires you?

Enjoyment and fun in what I’m doing. I also have to have a good group of people around me (social and work).

What’s the last book your read/film you saw?

The Barbie movie (don’t judge)… a very emotional watch and Ryan Gosling is not bad either.

Kerry Craig,

Operations Manager, UK Customer Training, KONGSBERG

What does your company do that others don’t?

KONGSBERG develops and manufactures the newest technology from the bottom of the sea to outer space. We work together as one team, translating innovations from one business area to the others.

We take pride in our world-class team of instructors in Kongsberg Maritime Products and integrated systems. Our instructors have a variety of backgrounds, including project engineers, service engineers, bridge officers and teachers. We have immediate access to the KM Product & Technology developers, which gives us a unique possibility to acquire up-to-date, thorough system knowledge for the direct benefit of our customers.

What are the most pressing challenges that your industry sector faces today, and why?

Inflation, economic instability and geopolitical disturbances have made it difficult to conduct business today. However, this has allowed us to focus on digitalisation which is the driving force of our era. With the combination of deep domain

20.

knowledge and industry know-how, KONGSBERG is at the forefront of revolutionising industries. We have seen a new challenge to support customers with blended learning and new online training tools. We will be introducing a new state-of-the-art learning management tool in 2024 which will take customer training to a new level for Kongsberg Maritime.

What is the hardest lesson you have learned in your career to date?

CV19 – The training industry shut down for months due to no travel.

This had a huge impact on staff, mental health and general business outlook. But we were lucky enough to offer furlough to our incredible team and pick up where we left off, but with new challenges on how to fulfil customer needs remotely or online.

What is the most valuable piece of business advice you have ever received?

Never assume anything.

What’s been your proudest career achievement to date, and why?

The growing demand for technical and product specific training programmes for the maritime sector has enabled the company to expand our team of training instructors.

Kongsberg Maritime expects the trend will continue into 2025 as operators and industry leaders place further emphasis on crew training to bridge the skills gap in the offshore industry. Increased interest in training for the maritime sector was one of the key drivers for the company investing £2million in its new training and simulation center at Westhill back in 2012.

NEWS

Are you ready to discover if your potential is within reach?

We value competence and experience, but we set an even higher regard to attitude and potential!

Our business is to offer high quality solutions and technology to clients in need of ocean data and services. Our vision “Sustainable access to ocean space” underpins our commitment to take part in the creation of a sustainable future.

SCAN ME

Find out more at reachsubsea.com/careers

21.

POLICY

We need lights, camera and action to grab slice of £110billion industry Growing an economy and creating jobs is hard, something which we all understand here in the North-east of Scotland as we embrace the energy transition.

However, there is an economic opportunity staring this region in the face which is enormous, yet is rarely discussed.

The UK’s creative industries are vital to our economy - they employ over two million people and grow faster than other industries.

asked why so little television and film production makes its way to our part of the world. His answer was actually pretty embarrassing for our region.

“Because nobody is banging on our door,” he said.

Big productions in Wales and Northern Ireland have been the product of lobbying by local politicians and civic leaders, combined with a big figure from the creative industries with an idea and a project.

According to recent statistics from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) they contributed £109billion to the economy in 2021. This equated to 5.6% of the total for that year.

To put that in context, that’s five times the GVA contribution made by the oil and gas sector.

Yet very little of that creative economic value is here - and you really have to ask why not? We have stunning landscapes, castles and even an empty prison which would add a dramatic backdrop to any production.

We also have three brilliant higher education institutions churning out hundreds of graduates every year, many of whom currently leave the region to find opportunities in their chosen sector, but could be retained of there were jobs for them.

We were fortunate to host Tim Davie, the Director General of the BBC, at our most recent Business Breakfast in December, where we

22.

We need some leading women and men to step forward to lead the charge for this region.

If we need any persuasion that it would be worth the effort, let’s take a look at what is happening elsewhere in the UK. Cardiff was chosen as the home for Doctor Who by the BBC in 2004 and it began filming the following year.

It was the corporation’s then drama commissioner Jane Tranter who persuaded BBC Wales head of drama Julie Gardner to work with writer Russell T Davies to create the new series in the city.

The show’s production has also created thousands of jobs, birthing a wider TV drama industry around it.

We need some leading women and men to step forward to lead the charge for this region.

A BBC report into the economic impact of Doctor Who found more than £134m in gross value added (GVA) in Wales, and a total UK contribution to the economy of £256m.

But it also triggered a far greater investment by other production companies who were persuaded to film in Wales after witnessing its success.

It was really the catalyst for what is an exceptional industry in Wales, and many different productions from all over the world have filmed there since.

And the industry is having the same catalytic impact elsewhere.

For example, movie and screen productions filmed in Northern

POLICY

Ireland have pumped £330million directly into the region’s economy since 2018.

Over the last four years, the country has been home to massive hits like Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls, Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar for Belfast, record audiences for Line of Duty and Bloodlands, and Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil.

And in England, Birmingham attracted a record number of tourists as fans of Peaky Blinders flocked to explore the world associated with the hit BBC gangster series.

The UK’s second largest city and the wider West Midlands region are becoming significant beneficiaries of the growing phenomenon of socalled “screen tourism”, where fans base a holiday on visiting locations related to popular films and TV shows.

A record 42.8 million tourists have visited Birmingham as the city cashes in on its status as the home of the real-life Peaky Blinders criminal gang, which operated from the 1890s to the 1930s.

Recently, Aberdeenshire landed itself a starring role in the finale of the show, doubling up as Miquelon Island for a final showdown between Tommy Shelby and his cousin Michael Gray.

Let this be the first of many fictional mobsters meeting a sticky end on the turf of Aberdeenshire.

There is an enormous prize out there – we just need to go out and grab it. My feeling is we would be pushing on an open door with Tim Davie…

Ryan Crighton,

Director of Policy, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce

FEATURE

Aberdeen emerging as a ‘must visit’ cruise destination Miami, Barcelona, Venice… and now Aberdeen? While the Granite City may not yet spring to mind as an iconic cruise city, there is no doubt that North-east Scotland is quickly becoming a must-visit destination.

Port of Aberdeen and VisitAberdeenshire have driven a remarkable increase in cruise calls, with 21 in 2022, a number that soared to 43 in 2023 and 60 currently scheduled for 2024.

Buoyed by the arrival of larger ships at the port’s new South Harbour, guest numbers have risen from around 3,000 up to 45,000 expected this year.

Cruise ships, such as the 290-metre Costa Favolosa and the 253-metre AIDAdiva and AIDAsol, each with the capacity to bring thousands of guests and crew, can now berth alongside in the new facility. The presence of these maritime giants, along with exclusive vessels such as the Sea Cloud Spirit, highlights

24.

Aberdeen’s ability to attract a diverse range of cruise lines.

Bob Sanguinetti, CEO of Port of Aberdeen, discussed where the focus for his team now lies: “With South Harbour complete, we are concentrating on consolidating our existing business and accelerating growth in this key sector. This will be largely driven by increasing the number of larger cruise ships visiting the region and we’re having positive discussions with existing and prospective customers to secure this business.

“We’re confident that our worldclass facility, coupled with the amazing destination, will position Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire as one of the UK’s top cruise destinations.”

The economic benefits of this increase in cruise traffic are substantial. Each cruise call generates an estimated average spend of £134 per passenger. In 2024,

this could equate to a financial boost of approximately £6million, with the potential to surpass £20million in following years if guest numbers reach 150,000.

With a successful 2023 cruise season still fresh in the memory, what will it take to deliver this growth and cement North-east of Scotland as a prime destination for cruise visitors in future years?

Chris Foy, CEO, Visit Aberdeenshire shared his thoughts: “We can look at three, interlinked areas: the welcome we offer; the preparedness of local suppliers and of course the work to secure the business in the first place, both the cruise ship arrivals themselves, and the shore excursions on offer.

“As this is a sector that thrives on human interaction, it is unsurprising that people are at the heart of all these moving parts.

VisitAberdeenshire plays a crucial role in connecting them together.”

FEATURE

The welcome The first impression of a destination goes a long way to encourage future visits with around 60% of cruise visitors likely to return to a destination at some point if they have a positive experience.

To enhance the welcome, VisitAberdeenshire recruited a team of volunteers to make the moment passengers step ashore a truly memorable experience.

The ‘Welcome to Aberdeenshire’ programme, supported by Aberdeen Inspired and Port of Aberdeen, delivered over 300 volunteer hours last summer from around 20 engaged, energetic and enthused individuals with a shared passion for their region.

This practical outlet for civic pride not only enhanced the visitor experience for incoming cruise passengers by offering guidance and acting as way finders, but also created a unique volunteering opportunity.

Local businesses VisitAberdeenshire’s ‘Cruise Ready Programme’, which began in 2018, has seen its team delivering travel trade masterclasses designed to help the local tourism business community fine tune their customer offering, develop products, and where appropriate, to sell into shore excursion programmes.

A unique output of this work has been the development of a farm attraction in Ellon where visitors can experience sheepdogs at work, complementing the more traditional fare of castles and whisky.

As the 2023 cruise season approached, the VA team worked with Aberdeen Inspired and Port of Aberdeen to brief local businesses on what to expect, and how they might attract visitors into their shops, cafes and attractions. These sessions are being repeated in February, are free to attend and open to all.

What is clear from Aberdeen’s first season of cruise ‘at large’ is that the arrival of the ships is transforming the tourism industry in Aberdeen and the North-east.

Success stories from 2023, such as the expansion of Aberdeen Whisky Shop to accommodate whisky tasting and St Machar’s Cathedral’s 40% uplift in visitors and 50% increase in donations and shop takings, demonstrate that cruise is becoming a major driver for footfall and growth.

Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen’s Business Improvement District commented: “There is no doubt our city centre is riding on a welcome wave of success thanks to the record-breaking cruise season at Port of Aberdeen.

“Each ship that arrives at the new South Harbour brings a massive influx of visitors into the heart of the Granite City, all of them enjoying - and boosting - the great shops, restaurants, bars and attractions we have.

“So much so, that many of our levy payers have told us business is booming, with some delighted to report their best season in several years, thanks to the arrival of thousands of passengers.”

Securing the business VisitAberdeenshire and Port of Aberdeen continue to represent the region on the UK and international stages through targeted sales activity directed at cruise operators and shore excursion companies at trade fairs and through delivery of site visits.

Whilst these organisations take a lead role in securing new business, it is the wider Cruise Aberdeenshire stakeholder group – including Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and VisitScotland - that knits together a cohesive approach to developing the cruise opportunity in the Northeast.

With an expanding schedule of cruise calls in the diary for this year and beyond, the message is clear: Aberdeen is open for business, and the world is invited.

25.

NEWS

Cyber security expert wins CEO of the Year award Kurtis Toy, Chief Executive of Onca Technologies Ltd, has been awarded the 2023 award for Cyber Security CEO of the Year – Aberdeenshire from CEO Monthly.

Onca Technologies, headquartered in Newburgh, supports businesses across the UK with a complete range of IT services. Specialising in cyber security, IT advice and bespoke system solutions, the practical knowledge and extensive experience of Onca’s team helps protect businesses from cyber threats, improve efficiencies, and maximise productivity.

CEO Monthly is a global publication bringing together insight and expertise from every major sector and industry across the world. Its awards programme recognises business leaders who are demonstrating outstanding success in their fields and nominees are judged on a range of criteria including business performance, stakeholder feedback and innovation within the business.

Scottish house prices to fall marginally in 2024, says CBRE Global real estate advisor CBRE is predicting a relatively soft landing for house prices in Scotland with a fall of just 0.8% in 2024, slightly less than the UK average forecast of 0.9%.

Scotland’s leading workplace furniture recycling organisation, Recycle Scotland has supplied upcycled furniture for renewable energy firm, Boralex’s first Scottish office in Edinburgh.

Looking at the bigger picture, prices are expected to rise by 16.4% in Scotland between 2024 and 2028 (UK 15.5%) offering hope for homeowners currently facing falling house values and high mortgage rates.

Recycle Scotland worked closely with the SPACE Design & Build team to ensure that the upcycled furniture complemented the new space and reflected Boralex’s values and vision. With sustainability and reuse at the heart of this project, Recycle Scotland supplied over 40 highquality recycled pieces, making up 70% of the new office furniture. Reused acoustic hanging screens, lockers and a boardroom desk and chairs were incorporated, while the sofa was reupholstered with previously used fabric to extend its life.

Chris Dougray, Executive Director for Development at CBRE Scotland, said: “The Scottish property market continues to be resilient despite the current financial climate.

Mortgage stress testing, an improved economic backdrop and base rate peaking at a lower level than anticipated means that the market has been shielded from larger falls than originally forecast this year.

Drew Carmichael, Director of Recycle Scotland, said: “As Boralex makes their mark on Scotland, we are thrilled to have incorporated recycled furniture within their new office.

By prioritising recycled and reused products, this project is a testament to how businesses can achieve an office space that reflects their brand values while minimising their environmental impact.”

“Affordability is less of a factor in Scotland than in other parts of the UK but there is still a shortfall in the number of new homes being built here.”

The project is part of Recycle Scotland’s ‘We have a solution’ campaign which offers every furniture item the opportunity for a second life to reduce waste. By providing Boralex with a sustainable workplace furniture solution, using high-quality recycled furniture and reupholstering items to match the new space, Recycle Scotland has diverted office furniture from unnecessarily reaching landfill.

In good news for homeowners, CBRE expects average prices to rebound in 2025 and rise by 4.2% to £187,589, followed by a further 5% uptick in 2026 to £196,968.

CBRE has upgraded its 2024 UK house price forecast, from a fall of 2.2% to a marginal 0.9% decline. This will follow a 2.1% annual fall CBRE anticipates for full-year 2023.

26.

Recycle Scotland upcycles as Boralex opens first Scottish office

NEWS

FEBRUARY 29

THE CHESTER HOTEL

MARCH 13

THE MUSIC HALL

APRIl 25

THE MUSIC HALL

OCTOBER 09

THE MUSIC HALL

FEATURE

Global AI Guru heading to Aberdeen to discuss A WAVE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-DRIVEN MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION POSES THE BIGGEST SHORT-TERM THREAT TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF) HAS SAID. In a deeply gloomy assessment, the body that convenes its annual meeting in Davos expressed concern that politics could be disrupted by the spread of false information, potentially leading to riots, strikes and crackdowns on dissent from governments.

The WEF’s annual risks report – which canvasses the opinion of 1,400 experts – found 30% of respondents thought there was a high risk of a global catastrophe over the next two years, with two-thirds fearful of a disastrous event within the next decade.

Later this month (February), Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce will discuss this issue with a top expert on the subject.

Nina Schick is a world-leading authority on Artificial Intelligence and is the woman that presidents call for advice on how AI is going to transform the world as we know it.

And in 2024, the Ultimate Masterclass Festival is bringing her to Aberdeen

28.

to discuss how AI will impact business, geopolitics and humanity.

A special dinner at Aberdeen’s Chester Hotel on February 29 will explore what it means to lead in the age of AI, the dangers we face, and also the opportunities offered by this exponential technology.

PEOPLE AND POWER Nina argues that AI is fundamentally about power and people and has advised global leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of NATO. She travels the globe sharing her prediction that ‘90% of online content will be created by AI in 2030’, and how humanity can reap the benefits.

However, there is a dark side we all need to understand. Advanced AI technology can now create videos of people doing things they never did, in places they have never been, saying things they never said.

It can be misused to shift public opinion, swing elections, or blackmail, coerce and silence individuals.

“Understanding AI is like reading the map to tomorrow,” she says.

“It holds the key to unlocking new knowledge, be it in drug discovery, deep data insights, or addressing monumental challenges like climate change.

“For any leader, being fluent in AI means being prepared for the future.

It’s not just about tech – it’s about leading in a world that’s changing fast.”

RISKS Manipulated and falsified information is now the most severe short-term risk the world faces, according to the Global Risks Report 2024.

Over the next two years, misinformation and disinformation will present one of the biggest ever challenges to the democratic process.

Almost three billion people are due to take part in elections across the world. Voters in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States are due to vote.

“Misinformation and disinformation may radically disrupt electoral processes in several economies,” the report says.

This disruption, according to the report, could trigger civil unrest and confrontation. It will also lead to growing distrust of media and government sources. Misinformation and disinformation will also deepen polarized views in societies where political opinion is already entrenched.

The risk presented by misinformation and disinformation is magnified by the widespread adoption of generative AI to produce what is known as “synthetic content”.

This ranges from deepfake videos, voice cloning and the production of counterfeit websites.

Regulators are acting to create new laws to control the misuse of AI but the speed the technology is advancing is likely to outpace the regulatory process.

About Nina Nina Schick is a political adviser, technology expert, and author of ‘Deepfakes and the Infocalypse’.

She was among the first to identify AI as a ‘tipping point for humanity’ and articulated this vision years before ChatGPT made AI a global phenomenon.

An advocate of responsible AI development, Nina is the Founder of Tamang Ventures, working exclusively with companies at the frontier of AI development.

She is proud to advise Synthesia, the world’s first video-generation platform, and Truepic, the global leader in authentication technologies.

Nina was named a LinkedIn Top Voice in AI in 2023 and among the World’s 20 Best Speakers on AI. Limited tickets remain for the dinner with Nina Schick – head to umf.events to reserve your place.

If you want to understand the impact that AI is going to have on business and humanity, this is an event not to be missed.

29.

ADVERTORIAL

What do you think about when you hear the term: “artificial intelligence”?

What do you think about when you hear the term: “artificial intelligence”? asks Dawid Szymaniuk, Cyber Security Engineer at Alto.

It’s a topic we hear about more and more, and sometimes not in the most positive light. It’s true that AI has been around for a long time and it’s also true that, not only is it here to stay, but its development is accelerating as ever more applications are found in every corner of our business and personal lives.

It sometimes seems that dramatic predictions of robots taking over the world and conspiring against humans threaten to drown out the plethora of positive applications of AI – and how these might be successfully put to work by a growing variety of businesses to help them flourish in a modern marketplace. Through careful research, and by taking the right professional advice, businesses of all shapes and sizes can embrace AI and use it sensibly as an integral part of their growth strategy.

One of the latest strides forward is Microsoft’s Co-Pilot product which was made available to SMEs on January 15, having been released

to Enterprise companies with more than 300 people last November.”

Described as being able to unlock the potential to amplify human creativity, Co-Pilot has the ability to relieve the burden of mundane, time-consuming tasks thereby freeing up the human user to do other things. Put simply, would you rather sit in front of a screen creating a pivot table or sit with a prospective client talking about how your businesses can work together for mutual benefit? For most people, one is infinitely more appealing than the other and even suggests that when used correctly AI could, in fact, help us to be better connected with people by unshackling us from some of the things which chain us to our computer screens. It could also teach us about how to better leverage software packages we have invested in, educating us in how to use them to even better effect by showing us hitherto untapped features and applications. In short, it’s not a job stealer it’s a game-changing efficiency tool.

their systems are continuing to learn. But AI also learns from us therefore, it is incumbent upon us all – individuals and businesses – to ensure that we “parent” AI correctly, teaching it and showing it the good side of human nature so that it knows the right way to communicate and behave. After all, you must put good information in to get good information out.

So don’t allow AI to be a monster under the bed for your business – with the right advice when choosing products, services and applications, it could be just what you need to uplevel your business for 2024 and beyond.

But with opportunity comes responsibility and caution is needed too. Yes, it’s true that AI learns from itself, and creators of some systems admit that they now don’t know how

w: www.itsalto.com e: hello@itsalto.com t: +44 (0) 1224 418 288

Dawid Szymaniuk,

Cyber Security Engineer, ALTO

NEWS

REDA Energy opens new branch as part of strategic growth With the aim of serving the Latin American oil and gas market, REDA Energy opens a branch in Brazil, headquartered in the city of São Paulo.

The Latin American region presents significant challenges in the oil and gas sector, ranging from offshore operations in Brazil to shale development in Argentina, and the exploration of new reserves in the equatorial margin, including areas such as Guyana and Suriname.

EnerQuip achieves record year with revenues exceeding £20million Multi award-winning torque specialist EnerQuip has reported a record year during which revenues have exceeded £20million.

With capital equipment sales topping £14million and sales and servicing business accounting for £7million, the Aberdeenshire-based company has seen the Middle East, North America and Europe key in taking 96% of its total business to international markets.

EnerQuip currently employs 110 people across its global operations, including UK bases near Aberdeen and at Lybster, Caithness and that is expected to rise by up to 15% in 2024 as additional staff are recruited to fulfil ongoing growth ambitions.

EnerQuip Managing Director Andrew Robins commented: “By working hard to maximise growth in key locations we have been able to capitalise on fulfilling pent-up demand for equipment post-pandemic, enabling our business to flourish and record our best year so far.”

Kuoni win Which?

Recommendation for third year Kuoni premium travel agents on Aberdeen’s Back Wynd have won Which? recommendation for a third year running.

The recognition is for Beach & Resort Holidays which they have won for the past three years but this year they also won Family Holidays recognition.

Store Manager Chris said: “Kuoni have always been an award-winning travel provider but winning Which? status is extra special as this is voted for by our customers, they’ve taken the time to vote for us and we can’t thank them enough”.

Addressing these challenges, REDA Energy, staffed with a team of experienced professionals in the Latin American market, is prepared to support all operators in overcoming future challenges in achieving sustainable oil and gas production, and developments in renewable energies.

REDA Energy Director, Gordon Moir added: “Our expansion into Latin America comes at a time of growth for our energy division and is one of a number of exciting initiatives being developed as part of our strategical growth.

“The Latin American region will be led by Carlos Tooge and Douglas De Carlo who have a combined experience of over 50 years in chemicals for the energy industries.”

Kirkwood Homes launches new development Luxury housing developer Kirkwood Homes has launched its first development of luxury bungalows at The Grove, Correen Road, in Alford.

The Grove will be Kirkwood Homes’ third development located in the thriving town of Alford, Aberdeenshire - its Castle Road development on the fringe of the town is proving popular, while the developer’s Kingsford Rise development is complete.

Kirkwood has also addressed the recent high demand for bungalows in the property market, and The Grove will mark the first selection of bungalows within the developer’s impressive portfolio of housetypes.

This development will host a range of luxury three and four bedroom bungalows, each designed to an exceptionally high standard, synonymous with the Kirkwood Homes brand.

Colin Crombie, Managing Director of Kirkwood Homes said: “We are excited to launch our first development of luxury bungalows in Alford and extend Kirkwood’s outstanding range of housetypes to meet the needs of our customers.

Not only will this mark a brand new selection of homes, this will also be the third of our luxury developments in Alford, due to the growing popularity and desirability of this Donside town.”

BUSINESS LESSONS

Business lessons I’ve learned What was your first job?

Swimming pool lifeguard.

What did you have for breakfast?

Cereal.

Who, or what, inspires you?

All the people who served during the 1st and 2nd World Wars so that we can have the life we lead today. I was fortunate to have been at the Menin Gate on November 11, 2018 to watch the centenary of the 1918 Armistice. A very moving experience.

What’s the last book your read/film you saw?

Book was: Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One – Sid Watkins Film: 1917

Ross Barclay,

Managing Director, RMD LImited

What does your company do that others don’t?

RMD provides a “one stop solution” for our potential and existing customers. From an initial enquiry, through to completing the work, RMD works very closely with our client to advise, install, and maintain products throughout the project and beyond. We work extremely hard at developing that relationship and trust with our customers, and that usually leads to new opportunities. I always remember a saying when I started in this business: you’re only as good as the last job you did!

What are the most pressing challenges that your industry sector faces today, and why?

Rising energy and fuel costs! All our customers are trying to reduce costs, so it’s extremely important that RMD look to reduce costs that are within our control, in order for us to be competitive. We can’t control energy costs or fuel costs, but we can and have reduced our business costs wherever we can. We are changing over to electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce vehicle running costs. We have replaced internal lighting with

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LED fittings, and we have placed an order to install solar panels to further reduce our energy costs.

What is the hardest lesson you have learned in your career to date?

To agree something verbally with a customer, and then they later deny all knowledge of that conversation.

What did I learn? Always send an email to confirm any discussions held.

What is the most valuable piece of business advice you have ever received?

Concentrate on things you can affect or change, and don’t waste time on the things you can’t affect or change!

What’s been your proudest career achievement to date, and why?

Being appointed to the position I’m in now.

If you could make one thing happen tomorrow that would benefit the North-east Scotland, what would that be?

This is a difficult question. The Northeast has relied on oil and gas for a long time now and thought should be given to move away from oil and gas and diversify to something new.

NEWS

Chamber secures Energy Profits Levy concession to protect North Sea jobs and investment The UK Government will make changes to the windfall tax from April following a campaign by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

HM Treasury has confirmed its intention to inflation-adjust the price floor at which companies no longer have to pay the additional levy.

The decision follows direct calls, from the Chamber, for the UK Government to recognise the damage the tax is having on jobs and investment in the UK Continental Shelf.

More than 1,000 jobs have been lost in the oil and gas sector since the introduction of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), which increased total taxes on the sector to 75%, one of the highest rates in the world.

The introduction of a price floor – a base price at which the levy would fall away – has done little to restore investor confidence, because the average price has been set at $71.40 per barrel for oil and £0.54 per therm for gas – a level which is unlikely to be triggered.

The 20-year average figure used to set the current price floor – the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM) – is not inflation adjusted. However, that will change from April.

In a letter to the Chamber, Gareth Davies MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, has confirmed that the government has decided to adjust the ESIM price thresholds in line with inflation in future tax years.

“Future adjustments to the thresholds will be based on annual CPI, starting from April 2024 and using the preceding December’s CPI figure,” he said in a letter.

Ryan Crighton, Policy Director at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the concession, but called on the government to go further.

“This is another sign that the Treasury recognises the impact the windfall tax is having on future North Sea activity and therefore jobs here in the North-east of Scotland.

“However, the government needs to go further. By their own admission, the original price floor will not be triggered.

And even when it is adjusted for CPI inflation that remains the case.

“Put simply, the windfall tax needs to go if we are to avoid a cliff-edge end to our domestic oil and gas industry and the 215,000 jobs it supports across these isles.

“Recent legislation laid before parliament government has the clear intention of stimulating further exploration and production in the North Sea, something we are aligned on the need for.

“However, these mandated licencing rounds will achieve nothing when accompanied by a fiscal regime which is driving companies, investment and jobs away from the UKCS.” There is mounting evidence that the EPL is having a detrimental impact on investment in the UKCS and thus undermining the government’s policy goals.

More than 1,000 workers already face an uncertain future due to the planned closure of Scotland’s only oil refinery at Grangemouth, plus job cuts at Harbour Energy and Apache.

The Chamber’s recent Energy Transition Survey also highlighted that confidence in the UK sector is at a record low, and clearly deviating from other basins.

There is also clear evidence from those in the energy sector that discretionary capital is moving elsewhere due to the severity and duration of the tax.

Mr Crighton added: “Under traditional reserve-based lending (RBL) mechanisms, the UKCS has become uninvestible for many. As the tax burden on companies grows, their expected future revenue shrinks, leading banks to cut borrowing RBL facilities, which are reviewed several times a year.

“The investment plans of smaller producers are particularly dependent on RBLs. This doesn’t just impact the willingness to invest but also the capacity to invest.

“We need the remove the EPL to secure the investment required in the energy sector to enhance our energy security today, and to help fund the new technologies of tomorrow.”

FEATURE

Openreach’s Scotland lead on ‘sexy and cool’ broadband “That’s the thing that I wax lyrical about. The amount of time I spend speaking to people saying ‘go and check your broadband checkers, go and see what you could have and switch contracts’.”

That’s what Katie Milligan, the Chair of Openreach’s Scottish Board, says is “the biggest bane” of her life.

“Often it’s cheaper than what people pay today,” she added.

difficult in Aberdeenshire, where the areas rurality makes it more difficult for engineers to install the quickest network.

“Be savvy, go and have a look and, particularly in a cost of living crisis, you should be savvy about what’s available to your home, how you can change yours and that’s what we try and remind people.”

A third of homes and businesses in the Shire have access to Openreach’s full fibre network following a £12.8million investment.

But unlike the city, the region has seen a good uptake of the latest offering with half of the homes and businesses accessing full fibre.

Openreach’s Scotland team of more than 3,000 is delivering full fibre broadband to more people than ever before.

“Gone are the days where it would be stressful. You can do this at the touch of a button and nothing really has to change. It’s really simple”

Yet, despite 58% of homes and businesses in Aberdeen having access to Openreach’s full fibre network (an investment of £22million, and counting), only 29% have upgraded.

Scottish-born Katie has seen her portfolio expand in recent years. As well as leading the Scotland board she is the firm’s Chief Commercial Officer and, barely into her 40s, there’s time yet for her to rise even further.

The challenge of getting customers to upgrade to the firm’s wideranging network isn’t quite so

“I grew up in Ardrossan and my upbringing was such that if you wanted to work in business you needed to move to London.

“At the age of 21, I just took the graduate scheme that was closest to central London. I didn’t know anything else about the company. I didn’t know about BT, I didn’t know about anyone that worked there and, I have to admit, I absolutely fell in love.

“The reason I’ve fallen in love with it is because we’re investing in the country. It’s something that is real in every single community, you see it everyday.

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FEATURE

“If you go and look, you’ll probably see an Openreach van. There are so many people working to safeguard people’s connections and to continue to provide jobs and livelihoods.

“It’s tough, but I go home with satisfaction. Broadband became sexy and cool for me – I never thought it would do, but it did.”

Undoubtedly, it hasn’t always been as “sexy and cool” as it is now for Katie, who’s put in two decades of hard yards at the company she says feels like “a family”.

Broadband became sexy and cool for me – I never thought it would do, but it did.

But the CV19 pandemic, by Katie’s own admission, “pushed up the need for understanding that better speed”.

She said: “If you look at the way in which life has changed now, people are now working from home.

“It’s pushed up the need for understanding that better speeds, more reliable broadband and so on are needed. Where people were making do, they’ve now gone out and sought to understand what is available to them.

“People are now much more aware of the fact that they need to be more involved in understanding what’s available to them.

“We now hear that people can’t live their lives without broadband. It’s not about having the best speeds to do X, Y and Z, it’s just people can’t live their lives without broadband.”

While CV19 increased the need for full fibre up and down the country, installing the connections in the first instance isn’t easy, especially in Scotland.

“There’s actually some issues very unique to Scotland that you wouldn’t necessarily think about over and above the geography.

FEATURE

“We have poles in gardens – it can be proportionally more expensive and more difficult to build because you’ve got to get agreement from the homeowner to get access into their back garden, in order to climb up the pole and change out the infrastructure.

“I know that all too well – my mum’s got one in her back garden, and my little old 70-odd-year-old mum does not take kindly to having people coming across her garden!

“When you get instances like that there is always delay. People have to phone up to check it is bona fide.

“We also have some other challenges within Scotland. If you think about some of the tenements in cities. They will be more expensive and more difficult to build to, just by the nature of access. There are railings normally outside tenements, that has an impact as we can’t have our engineers climbing up above railings in case they fall down, so we need to find different ways of accessing buildings.

“We also have challenges around trying to access and put out fibre infrastructure in multi-dwelling units.

“In Scotland you need everyone to agree, as oppose to the majority (which is required in other parts of the UK).

“There’s subtilties in what you find day-to-day that just adds on that extra cost.”

But the challenges won’t stand in the way of Katie and her team from pushing towards their ambitious goal of delivering ultrafast full fibre to 25 million UK homes and businesses by December 2026.

“We’ll build around another million, every single year out towards the end of the decade.

“We are working actively to secure as many government contracts to extend connectivity into the rural communities. My job is to make sure we build as far as possible and get customers off the copper network and onto full fibre.

“You look at the storms, fibre is not affected by them. We are not seeing the levels of outages as we have before, and that’s the future.

We need to get on a more resilient network for customers.”

As if the challenges of battling to get more people onto the full fibre network and installing the connections in some of Scotland’s most rural areas wasn’t enough for Katie, she’s also made a sustained effort to attract more women to Openreach.

In some cohorts, when we look at women versus men in training, women are invariably doing better than men.

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A traditionally male-dominated industry, Katie says the key to attracting a more diverse workforce is something as simple as language.

“A lot of it is around how you describe the jobs.

“For example, we spent a lot of time taking away what was traditionally male language around the fact that we’re engineers. Actually, we’re customer service representatives.

It just so happens that we’re in the home and out on the street as opposed to in a call centre.

“When we changed the language, we got a significantly different yield of female candidates. And I can understand it, a lot of it has to do with whether or not women can feel like they can do the job. If you’ve got language in such a way that it predisposes you to think that it’s not your type of job, then you’re not going to want to apply.”

And Katie says the change is paying-off.

“In some cohorts, when we look at women versus men in training, women are invariably doing better than men.

“But first, you have to get them through the door.”

NEWS

Averroes Capital completes the buyout of Glacier Energy Averroes Capital announces the buyout of Glacier Energy, a specialist provider of products, services and engineered solutions for energy and industrial markets.

Glacier Energy has a distinguished track record of serving its clients across various sectors including onshore and offshore wind, oil and gas, nuclear and chemicals. The business has also been leveraging its engineering and technical capabilities to support low carbon technologies including hydrogen, carbon capture, and energy storage.

Glacier Energy’s core capabilities are focused on heat transfer, machining, welding, and testing and inspection specialisms.

Stork agrees two-year charity partnership with Clan Stork has announced a two-year partnership with leading North-east charity, Clan Cancer Support.

As part of the agreement, Stork will work with Clan to raise awareness and vital donations, with staff kickstarting their fundraising activity by taking on the charity’s annual Firewalk event.

Nicola Murray, Regional Director Human Resources commented: “Stork’s purpose of Maintaining a Better World, ensures we create a positive and lasting impact on the communities in which we operate. To help us continue on this journey, each of our regional UK hubs have chosen a local organisation to support. Our staff in Aberdeen selected Clan Cancer Support as our chosen charity for 2024/2025.

“As Clan celebrate their 40th anniversary year, we couldn’t think of a better time to forge our partnership and become ‘Part of the Clan’. We’re here to celebrate, learn from and engage with the team at Clan in all areas of fundraising and volunteering. We look forward to working together and helping to make a difference.”

North-east Rotary Clubs donate over £21,000 to Charlie House

The business is embarking on further growth, designed to take advantage of positive market drivers in the energy landscape, in particular the energy transition, energy security initiatives and decommissioning. These trends are driving investments into both low carbon technologies and existing energy sources.

Jack Scott, Investment Director at Averroes Capital, said: “We are excited by the opportunity to partner with Scott Martin and his team to support the business on its next stage of growth. Glacier Energy is seen as a trusted partner to its clients and is well positioned to capitalise on the strong demand for integrated technical expertise in its niches, particularly within renewable and other low carbon energy sectors.”

Scott Martin, Group CEO of Glacier Energy, said: “I am delighted that we secured this investment from Averroes Capital and look forward to working with them to capitalise on the significant momentum we have in the business. Glacier Energy is very well placed to play a large role in the energy transition and having access to further investment for the next phase of our journey will accelerate this. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the investors who have now exited the business as part of this transaction and am extremely grateful for the support they provided to me and the team.”

Queen opens safe space in Aberdeen Her Majesty The Queen officially opened a Safe Space in Aberdeen Art Gallery where victims of domestic abuse can discretely ask for help from the venue’s staff.

The Rotary Clubs of Aberdeen and North-east have raised an incredible £31,686 for local good causes through their annual car raffle, with £21,250 going to Charlie House as the primary benefitting charity.

Queen Camilla also unveiled a poignant sculpture which is in memory of those lost to and survivors of domestic abuse as well as being visible both internally and externally to signify the venue as a Safe Space location.

The impressive sum raised for Charlie House will go towards the charity’s Big Build Appeal, an initiative to develop a support centre in Aberdeen for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Once built, this facility will ensure North-east families don’t have to travel more than 100 miles for vital specialist care.

The Art Gallery staff have been trained to provide help and guidance to people if they suspect someone is living with abuse. Alternatively, anyone can go and ask for support from the staff who will then point them towards professional help.

Queen Camilla was greeted outside the venue by pupils of Gilcomstoun Primary School and then welcomed in by the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen Dr David Cameron.

MEET THE MEMBERS

first six months of starting Bspoq, and sped on by the pandemic, the business added new service lines and quickly hired local talent to help deliver a full suite of marketing support.

What does your business do?

Matt Sandham, Director, Bspoq

Bspoq operates as a premium strategy and implementation partner, working with businesses to unlock their true growth potential. By delivering our marketing and software development services, we focus on building deeprooted, long-term relationships with clients. We look at how we can affect a business’ omnichannel strategy and often start with their E-Commerce platform for either B2C, B2B or a hybrid of both.

When was your business established?

What sort of companies do you do business with?

The business was founded in the summer of 2019. I had left my previous job and initially set up as an E-Commerce consultant, having spent the previous four years leading part of a local business to scale up their online operation and generate millions of pounds in additional revenue. After the

Firstly, we look for businesses that have a real desire for growth, looking to move their organisations forward and embrace new ideas along with ways to improve their go-to-market strategy. Beyond that, our best work is with businesses who have started or are looking to start their journey into

funeral care to those in and around Aberdeen for the last 20 years. We provide every style of funeral whether large high-profile funerals, or simple direct cremations. We are Appointed Representatives for Golden Charter Funeral Plans and hold related public sector contracts.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Mark Shaw,

Funeral Director, Embalmer and Business Owner, Mark Shaw Funeral Services

When was your business established?

February 2004.

What does your business do?

We are a local, independent funeral director, providing personalised

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Our work is largely with members of the general public from the complete cross section of society. We do however work closely with related services, suppliers, faith organisations, professional advisors and public sector.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

The recent growth of VC backed, national funeral companies advertising low cost non-attended funerals. We have always catered for this service locally, but significant advertising budgets and emphasis on minimising the grief journey make this a challenging service to work in while

improving their customer experience, online and offline.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

The biggest challenge we currently face is educating the local market on the tools and innovations that they could be making better use of. We are taking steps to help share our knowledge by hosting exclusive events with industry-leading speakers, something I’d encourage any business owner who is open to embracing technology and new sales channels to come along to.

And the biggest opportunity?

Without a doubt, B2B E-Commerce.

We are all familiar with and regularly shop online in our home lives. The expectation as we move even further into blended working is that those same experiences are replicated in the working world as well. Developing platforms and technologies that enable customers to engage with your business in new ways has consistently proven to improve overall performance.

maintaining our standards of care for deceased and bereaved.

And the biggest opportunity?

Regardless of corporate changes, people still have a desire for personal, unrushed, fairly priced good service at the time of loosing a loved one. Funerals have become more individualised over the years and being local and independent, we are well placed to meet every family in a unique and special way, as suits their wishes.

What are you most passionate and proud of when it comes to your business?

Ensuring that only the best will do.

People don’t want to be kept waiting when they phone, cars need to be gleaming, the final visit to see a loved one should be a precious moment. A funeral of whatever style or budget is a unique occasion, and it is our privilege to be part of helping that occasion to work as those who grieve wish.

MEET THE MEMBERS

What does your business do?

SSE Thermal owns and operates flexible power stations and gas storage sites in the UK and Ireland including Peterhead. They play a critical role in keeping the lights on and backing up renewables. Our mission is to deliver the flexible energy needed today while powering the net zero transition.

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Karen Watt,

Community Liaison Officer, SSE Thermal

When was your business established?

Our heritage spans nearly 80 years from the advent of electricity generation in the north of Scotland. A series of mergers led to the creation of SSE in 1998 and SSE Thermal was established in 2020. Today, SSE plc is the UK’s clean energy champion, employing around 12,000 people.

Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station is being developed in collaboration with Equinor as we work closely with partners at the Acorn Project and Scottish Cluster to progress the decarbonisation of the region. As we continue to develop the plant, there will be increased opportunities for the local supply chain.

Senior buyer, Thistle Tubulars

When was your business established?

Thistle Tubes was formed in 1993 and was subsequently rebranded as Thistle Tubulars Limited in 2021.

And the biggest opportunity?

Net zero represents an immense opportunity for the North-east.

Energy has been at the heart of the region for such a long time and now we have the chance to build a lowcarbon powerhouse. A new station at Peterhead will provide excellent employment opportunities for local people and apprentices.

What are you most passionate and proud of when it comes to your business?

The energy transition is essential, but we can’t leave workers and communities behind. That’s why decarbonising Peterhead is so important – not only will it help with

I am passionate about engaging with the local communities and stakeholders surrounding Peterhead Station. I am particularly proud of our new educational programme for 7- to 9-year-olds that introduces them to new energy resources such as carbon capture and hydrogen and gives them an understanding of how their local power station operates.

What does your business do?

sitting across from someone face-toface.

Thistle Tubulars specialise in providing tubulars solutions to both the energy and construction sectors. We offer supply, storage and disposal of casing and tubing OCTG, drill pipe and line pipe from our facility in Aberdeen.

And the biggest opportunity?

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

What sort of companies do you do business with?

Paul O’Neill,

Scotland and the UK’s net zero ambitions, it will also retain and create jobs in the North-east while creating significant socio-economic benefits.

Whilst working within the energy sector we deal with all major operators and Tier 1 service companies, especially in the P&A arena. Additionally, we work with major construction companies for the piling market. The OCTG we supply is thereafter used directly for large and small infrastructure projects in the UK and internationally.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

Establishing the required face-to-face meetings with clients which are still due to the impact of CV19. Obviously, networking events such as OE23 really do help greatly but nothing beats

Because the energy sector is still buoyant, new opportunities always come along and increasing our visibility through networking events really does provide us with a larger chance for success. Operators are keen to increase their own carbon footprints through equipment regeneration which of course we facilitate via construction projects.

What are you most passionate and proud of when it comes to your business?

Having worked in energy for over 37 years, I am extremely pleased to see our company continue to grow. I am passionate about playing my part in ensuring this continues and allows us to develop further so that we keep on delivering for our existing clients and new customers to follow.

TRAINING

February 21 *£330 +VAT February 23 *£330 +VAT The basics of project management The basics of business finance This outcome-focussed course will equip you and your project managers with all the essential skills they need to deliver on time, every time, to the highest standard.

This course is designed to help those with little accounting experience to understand exactly how business finance works.

March 7 *£330 +VAT March 13 *£330 +VAT Motivation and delegation Advanced supervisory skills This course has been designed by leading people management experts with one aim – boosting team performance.

This course is the next level of learning for supervisors who have already developed and embedded the basics.

March 25 Report writing

*£330 +VAT March 27 *£330 +VAT Customs procedure and documentation Good report writing is an art – one which can be perfected with the help of this course, that equips delegates with writing skills which can be applied to a wide range of situations.

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This course provides further detail around the key information and documentation required for customs whilst also looking at the customs procedures and compliance requirements for successful international trade.

Chamber members* save on all training courses

TRAINING

February 27 *£330 +VAT March 6 *£330 +VAT Customer service excellence Sales and account management This course will help your teams deliver the best possible service to delight your customers, and turn them into advocates for your business.

This programme looks at key, strategic and operational processes that will enable delegates to get the account management strategy right and develop the skills needed to do it.

March 14 *£330 +VAT March 19-20 *£620 +VAT Business development accelerator Essential management skills This course shows how a business development methodology can be successfully implemented to achieve both new business acquisition and the further development of existing customers.

This two-day course has been designed to ensure that all your managers are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their job effectively.

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WORD OF ADVICE

Peter Marioni,

Chief Operating Officer – North-east Scotland, Augean

Andrinne Craig,

Healthy Communities Manager, Sport Aberdeen

Area of expertise?

Area of expertise?

Augean specialise in waste management, particularly with hard to handle and radioactive wastes, ensuring health, safety and environmental compliance and customer focus from our dedicated team of waste specialists. We have in-house treatment and processing capabilities that we are continuously enhancing to align us with best available techniques.

I have worked in sport and leisure for more than 20 years – my passion is creating environments where anyone can get active, regardless of age, ability or background. For the last four years, I have enjoyed leading Sport Aberdeen’s Healthy Communities team with a focus on older adults and those living with a long-term health condition.

What should people know?

We have invested in our people and processes to ensure that prevention, reuse and recycling is at the forefront of our waste management process.

What’s the biggest mistakes companies make?

Not shouting loud enough about success stories, including ourselves. We support our customers with complex cleaning and decommissioning workscopes both on and offshore but the success of these from both our point of view and our customers isn’t shared widely enough. We all need to embrace the use of social media platforms to show these stories.

What’s your top tip?

Challenge everything and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Value your employees and take the time to listen to their ideas. Finally, ask for feedback and give your employees feedback, you will both equally learn from it.

What should people know?

Getting active and staying active is one of the most important things a person can do for their longevity and overall wellbeing. Currently at Sport Aberdeen, we are proud to support over 1,500 individuals aged 66+ to be active every quarter. We also receive over 300 referrals each year from health professionals recommending physical activity as a way for their patients to manage a range of long-term health conditions. Whether it’s joining a social walking group, taking part in an exercise class, or playing your favourite sport, there are so many enjoyable and social ways to keep active!

What’s the biggest mistakes companies make?

In the fitness industry, it is common for older age groups and other minorities to be overlooked as they aren’t seen as the main market. It is important to remember that we are all living longer, and people are motivated to add life to those years by keeping themselves as fit, healthy and independent as possible. We want to ensure Sport Aberdeen provides lifelong opportunities for people to participate in sport and physical activity. I have found that working with those who have fewer opportunities can be incredibly rewarding!

What’s your top tip?

It may seem cliché, but you don’t need to do everything yourself. We wouldn’t be able to deliver the impact that we do without the support from other excellent organisations motivated to make a difference for older communities. Valuing others’ expertise goes a long way towards providing the best product possible.

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WORDS OF ADVICE

Erlend Corrigall,

Business Development, ITC Hydraulic & Manufacturing

Keith Davidson, Managing Director, Absoft

Area of expertise?

Area of expertise?

ITC is a dynamic solution-driven company that delivers flexible, fast-response and cost-effective products and services. Offerings include, in-house design and engineering, fabrication, machining, refurbishment, repair, rental equipment, and, specialist hydraulic components. Fully ISO accredited with granted F4OR status, ITC’s goal is always to deliver the highest quality.

Specialising in SAP products and services, Absoft excels in guiding end-to-end SAP deployments, offering robust support, and ensuring seamless data migration. Leveraging cloud technology, we optimise operations integrating SAP with scalable, secure cloud infrastructures for enhanced efficiency and transformative business outcomes.

What should people know?

The current global supply market is very fragile with material and componentry lead-times proving to be erratic. This is impacting the ability to provide reliable finished-goods delivery dates until parts orders are placed with suppliers. Even then, this does not guarantee parts will arrive as anticipated, delays are unfortunately commonplace.

What’s the biggest mistakes companies make?

What should people know?

With over 30 years in business, we’re a distinguished SAP Gold Partner, Microsoft Partner, and independent local industry leader. Specialising in oil and gas, manufacturing, and public sector, we bring unparalleled SAP expertise, delivering innovative solutions and transformative strategies tailored to unique business needs.

What’s the biggest mistakes companies make?

Companies are not taking these supply chain issues into consideration when tendering. Purchase approval processes are taking too long or are not started early enough. Onerous commercial delivery terms (LDs) are then sought to ensure delivery which can negatively increase the price to counter the resulting risk.

The biggest mistake companies make is overlooking the significance of partnering with culturally aligned firms and underestimating understanding their own business processes and new technology. Failure to prioritise cultural fit hampers collaboration, while ignoring internal processes and neglecting new technology adoption hinders growth and leads to long-term misalignment.

What’s your top tip?

What’s your top tip?

• Expect delays, tender and award well in advance of the required date to provide as much leeway as possible.

The top tip is to prioritise people and adopt change mindset. Realise the impact of change, implement clear communication and support employee wellbeing. While it can sound like a cliché, it is the employees who make the business and ensuring their wellbeing should be one of your priorities.

• Seek reasonable commercial terms.

• Allow for a sufficient “contract award” stage payment that will enable an early commitment for purchases of components and materials.

CHAMBERTALK

First minister seeks Labour talks to restore North Sea confidence First Minister Humza Yousaf is seeking pre-election talks with Sir Keir Starmer to restore fragile investor confidence in the UK energy sector.

Speaking to ChamberTalk, a new podcast from Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, the SNP leader said he wants to “work together” with Labour to attract new energy investment to Scotland.

He aligned his party with the Labour position on oil and gas, confirming that he would not seek to “rip up licences which are already there” such as Rosebank, if Scotland was to become an independent country.

And he went further, suggesting that the Scottish Government could support new projects if they were to replace carbon-intensive energy imports with a cleaner supply of domestic gas.

In a wide-ranging discussion, the first minister was candid about the challenges he has faced since succeeding Nicola Sturgeon in March last year.

He said he was committed to resetting the government’s fractured relationship with business, something which hit a low-point when the SNP-Green coalition announced a presumption against future oil and gas exploration in its draft energy strategy.

The final version of that strategy will be published this summer, and when asked if his cabinet was still aligned behind the presumption against new fields, the first minister replied: “yes”.

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“The cabinet and government speaks as one voice and the current policy is as you articulated it,” he said.

“For me, the presumption is the right starting place, because everybody, including the industry, understands the severity of the climate crisis.”

But he stopped well short of saying that his government was against all new development in the North Sea. Instead, he wants to see an “evidence-based analysis” and look at each licence application on “a case-by-case basis”.

“That’s why my position isn’t that there should be no oil and gas licenses ever in the future at all,” he said.

“But we have to look at three things – our climate obligations, we have to ask the question about workers and the just transition, and then energy security. We have to ask those questions and strengthen the climate compatibility checks.”

He added: “Where we can reduce our importation because of the carbon implications of that, then of course we should be favourable in terms of that consideration. And that’s why I say to you that these decisions should be made of a case-by-case basis.”

Holyrood’s presumption against future oil and gas developments – together with the Labour Party’s pledge that North Sea exploration would end if they win the election – sent North Sea confidence tumbling last year.

Both parties have since added some nuance to their respective positions in an effort to provide reassurance to energy companies operating in the UK Continental shelf, many of which will be critical to financing the energy transition.

Mr Yousaf said he acknowledged that investor confidence in the sector was important – and offered a surprising olive branch to the Labour party in London.

He said: “There is going to be a change of government in 2024 – and my offer to Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband is to come speak to us in advance of a general election and let’s work together to unleash the potential of Scotland’s renewable sector.

“Let’s do that in a way that gives investors the confidence they need to invest now in Scotland to deliver a great economic return in the years and decades to come.”

Mr Yousaf went on to say that nobody working in the oil and gas sector should fear for their future.

Asked if he had a message for those working offshore, the first minister said: “I not only value what they are doing at the moment, I believe they also have massive potential to help us to power on the just transition to net zero.

“The oil and gas industry is going to continue to be in Scotland for not just years, but decades to come. But we know those skills are so transferable into renewable technologies.

“There is massive opportunity if you are an oil and gas worker in the North-east.”

CHAMBERTALK

He added: “I see the oil and gas industry as being partners in unleashing our renewables potential. They’ve got deep pockets and they are able to leverage in private investment.

“But my job is to challenge them and to say put your money where your mouth is and let’s move this transition as quickly as possible.

“Let’s unleash and unlock that renewable potential and let’s do it together at pace. The industry is up for that challenge.”

My offer to Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband is to come speak to us in advance of a general election and let’s work together to unleash the potential of Scotland’s renewable sector.

NEWS

Non-Executive Director and supported by Aberdeenshire Council, Entier and Balmoral Castle & Estate.

The two-day informative and interactive event saw pupils from schools across Aberdeenshire have access to successful people already working within the hospitality sector including Entier’s team.

Balmoral hosts Aberdeenshire pupils during two-day hospitality event Balmoral Castle & Estate opened its doors to all Aberdeenshire pupils in December during a two-day event created to showcase job opportunities in the hospitality sector and to highlight the career paths available.

‘The Balmoral Hospitality Event’ was spearheaded by Sylvia Halkerston, an experienced industry consultant and

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Sylvia Halkerston said: “This successful event was borne out of His Majesty The King’s concern around not having a workforce to support the incredible hospitality sector we have in this area of Scotland. I had the pleasure on working on a project to raise awareness of opportunities for young people in the hospitality sector and creating better linkages between business and education, with the real task of engaging employers more to address the school leaver pipeline and to ensure clarity around the availability of real jobs for young people.”

Sylvia concludes: “With the continued Royal interest in mind, it seemed fitting to approach Balmoral Estate as the location for the event who have been most accommodating, as has Peter Bruce CEO of Entier and the wider team. We hope this event has opened the eyes of pupils who may have an interest in the sector or aspire to a full-time career in hospitality. The speakers from the Entier team gave the pupils motivation, real-life stories about their own experiences and hands-on experience so they have lots to take away and consider.”

NEWS

Strategic alliance announced between ABL & Integrity HSE Aberdeen-based health and safety consultancy Integrity HSE have taken the next step in their impressive growth journey by signing a strategic partnership with ABL’s ‘Rig Inspection’ division.

This collaboration adds an unrivalled HSE inspection service to complement ABL’s existing offerings and promises to catapult both organisations to the forefront of the global rig inspection market.

ABL are globally recognised as a leading independent energy and marine consultancy across the renewables, maritime and oil and gas sectors.

Over the years, ABL’s Rig Inspection division has earned an enviable international reputation for supplying the best multi-disciplined inspection teams that comprise seasoned marine; electrical; electro-technical; subsea and mechanical engineers. With this partnership in place, ABL will enhance that capability to also include industry leading health, safety, and environment (HSE) professionals.

Darrell Lines, Integrity HSE’s Director of Safety & Risk said: “We are very protective of our brand and wouldn’t normally consider an alliance of this type. But, when we began exploring the potential alignment with ABL, the fit was impossible to ignore. This partnership successfully establishes a new standard of HSE excellence within rig inspection, and we are excited to bring it to the market”.

Energy Minister visits National Decommissioning Centre The National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) has marked its fifth anniversary with a visit from Scotland’s Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin MSP. On her tour of the facility in Newburgh in January the Minister heard how the University of Aberdeen is supporting the energy transition through research taking place at the NDC and through its Centre for Energy Transition.

First Bus become real Living Wage employer First Bus has announced that it will become a real Living Wage (RLW) employer from April 1, 2024.

The move means that 1,300 colleagues across the UK will benefit from a rise in wages in line with the new commitment, bringing every employee to at least £12 per hour in pay rates. These colleagues are spread across the UK business in various roles and will include workers employed through third party contractors.

Once accredited, First Bus will become the UK’s largest national bus operator to make this commitment, cementing its position as an employer of choice in the sector. This demonstrates the importance of its colleagues to the business; ensuring no colleague ever gets left behind.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Martin said: “Taking the opportunity to see the fantastic work which the NDC is doing to support the energy sector with Scottish Government backing has been a privilege.

First Bus Managing Director, Janette Bell, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Living Wage Foundation and look forward to achieving our real Living Wage commitment. I am thrilled this will positively impact 1300 of our colleagues with a pay rise from April 1st and that we are once again demonstrating to our people and the market that we care.

“The decommissioning of fossil fuel installations is integral to the pursuit of an orderly, managed transition to net zero.

This has the potential to create benefits and opportunities for people across Scotland.

“Engaged employees encourage customers to travel more often. So, by treating our employees well, we are also helping to achieve our mission to get people out of their cars and onto the bus.

“Our focus is on creating opportunities for a highly productive and green economy, providing new jobs, embedding innovation and boosting skills.”

“We want First Bus to be a place where our people feel welcome, can be their true selves and succeed. It is vital that we do all we can to support our colleagues, and this is another important step in our transformation journey.”

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NEWS

Sentinel Subsea marks significant milestone Sentinel Subsea, specialists in passive subsea integrity monitoring, proudly announces a successful installation of its WellSentinel™️ Clam to monitor a subsea Christmas tree.

This operation, in collaboration with Baker Hughes, was executed on a producing asset at a depth exceeding 400m (1,300 feet) and marks a significant advancement in subsea technology.

The seamless installation of the Clam type system, a WellSentinel™ solution designed specifically for subsea Christmas trees, not only showcases the robustness and adaptability of our passive technology but also confirms the technologies application to a wide range of subsea infrastructure. Having successfully deployed our wellhead solutions, this is the first of multiple Clam systems being installed to monitor subsea Christmas trees for a major operator.

Blackadders LLP boosts earnings and profit Leading Sottish law firm Blackadders LLP has reported increased turnover and profit in its latest accounts.

The figures for the 2022/23 financial year show turnover increased by more than £1million and profit rose by 12%.

Performance in the current financial year so far points to a similar performance with another £1million set to be added to income as well as expected further growth in profits for 2023/24.

The 2022/23 results are the first reported under the new leadership team of Joint Managing Partners Emma Gray and Ryan McKay. The pair were appointed in August 2022.

Blackadders’ turnover for 2022/23 was £16.7million, including Blackadders Wealth Management LLP, and profit was £4.23million.

Ryan McKay said: “We are very pleased with the performance. It was a challenging year but we managed to make early progress on a number of reorganisation initiatives in the firm and this has shown through to the bottom line.

“Trading conditions continued to be challenged by the fallout from CV19, the cost-of-living crisis and global conflicts but we have been very clear in concentrating on delivering for our clients.

“By sticking to our values of service excellence, continuous improvement and our people, we have kept the focus of the firm on core activity.

“The understanding from our teams of the need to meet every challenge given to us by our clients has never been greater and this has been reflected positively in the financial performance.”

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Neil Gordon, CEO of Sentinel Subsea, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “Sentinel Subsea remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of subsea monitoring, enhancing environmental safety, efficiency, and risk mitigation for the global energy industry. This successful installation showcases our commitment to innovation and delivering solutions that align with the evolving needs of our clients.

A heartfelt thank you to the Sentinel engineering team, our Technical Support Coordinator Márcio Barçante, and the local Baker Hughes team for their unwavering support and collaboration.”

New partnership between IFB and Expo.E Connectivity, cyber security and IT Service provider IFB, has partnered with leading Cloud, IT, and network services provider EXPO.e to provide large scale and comprehensive Cyber Security Operations Centre services (CSOC) for its current and future customers.

IFB CEO Graeme Gordon said: “We are delighted to extend our working relationship and partnership with EXPO.e to now include the critical cyber security operations space.

This means that alongside IFB’s own security services, we can now offer the depth, breadth and scale of expertise to accommodate any scale of security requirement.”

Graeme continued: “A massive 92% of UK businesses reported a cyber security breach of some type in the last 12 months this means our partnership comes at a key time for organisations of any size. Business best practice, when it comes to cyber security, is driving a real demand from businesses and organisations to have a comprehensive security service that monitors, manages and outpaces security threats 24/7. We have recognised that the only real way of doing this with confidence is working with a partner like EXPO.e, who alongside the team at IFB, are delivering these services in quality and scale.”

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ON THE MOVE

Weber Shandwick

Austa McKendrick

Mike Scott

Weber Shandwick, the earned-first global communications agency, has welcomed eight new consultants to its awardwinning Scottish team. The new additions to the Weber Shandwick Scotland team include: Emma Bain, Account Director; Stephanie Carberry-Main, Senior Manager; Catriona Martin, Manager; Diana Bengea, Manager; Rebecca Watson, Senior Associate; Evan Balfour, Junior Associate; Ilona Halkides, Project Management Apprentice and Innes Christie, Digital Marketing Apprentice.

ZynQ 360 announce the internal appointment of Austa McKendrick, Global Head of Sales, to their Board of Directors. Austa has brought extensive sales experience to the business since joining the ZynQ 360 team in early 2022. She will now lead the business development team globally, continuing to drive growth in their core markets whilst exploring new opportunities.

Mermaid Subsea Services UK has appointed Mike Scott as Commercial Manager, bringing over 20 years’ experience in the global subsea energy industry.

Mike has held management roles with a number of subsea contractors and has an extensive track record in successful bidding and negotiation of IRM, decommissioning and EPIC contracts to both operators and offshore contractors.

Dr Turgay Köroğlu PhD

Amanda Forsyth and Alice Cassie

Craig Greenwood

Montrose Port Authority (MPA) has appointed Dr Turgay Köroğlu PhD as its Port Decarbonisation Engineer as part of the Port’s mission to become one of the greenest energy hubs in Scotland, reinforcing their commitment to reduce emissions and positively contribute towards Scotland’s ambitious 2045 net zero targets.

Aberdeen-based business applications support firm Escone Solutions has strengthened its Senior Leadership Team with the promotion of Amanda Forsyth. Amanda, who joined Escone’s helpdesk support team in 2022 as a Business Applications Support Analyst, was appointed Support Lead overseeing the Escone Assist team in April 2023. Alice Cassie, one of Escone’s longest serving members of the team, has become Head of Consultancy.

Alice joined Escone almost seven years ago as a graduate from The Robert Gordon University.

Craig Greenwood has been appointed as the new Managing Director of NorDan UK. Craig will be taking over the reins from Alex Brown, who has been in the position for almost 15 years and will now assume the role of Non-Executive Chairman.

ON THE MOVE

Peter Stott, Brian McGuinness and Jonathan Carlill P&J Live has announced three key senior appointments as the business looks ahead to a strong and varied programme of events in 2024. Peter Stott, who has been with the venue team for 21 years, has been promoted to Head of Operations & Event Delivery at P&J Live. Following a successful interim period, Brian McGuinness this week begins his new role as Senior Event Manager, having been a member of the events team for the past five years.

Also taking a step up is Jonathan Carlill, who takes on the role of Food & Beverage Operations Manager, leading on all aspects of the food and beverage operation, while proactively developing strategies to enhance the changing needs of P&J Live’s guests and clients.

Findlay Anderson

Graeme Leslie

Gilson Gray has named a new head of its corporate division, with Findlay Anderson promoted to lead the team’s growth in 2024.

Findlay joined Gilson Gray in May 2023 as a Partner, bringing two decades of experience in senior leadership roles across a range of multinational corporates including Baker Hughes and GE Oil and Gas, as well as previously being a Partner at McGrigors.

Graeme Leslie has joined Apollo as the company’s new Process and Safety Manager. Graeme, a chartered engineer with over 15 years in the field, joins Apollo with a background in process engineering, gained through his involvement in various oil and gas projects.

Fraser Fyvie

Raemond Jappy and Lisa Thomson

Anisha Badial

M2 Safety has welcomed Fraser Fyvie as its newest employee. Fraser has been at M2 Safety for the past three months and has sat his NEBOSH, serviced current clients and taken on new clients all while playing professional football for Cove Rangers Football Club.

Johnston Carmichael has strengthened its leadership team with two senior promotions in its Aberdeen office. Business Advisory specialist Raemond Jappy, becomes Partner, and Lisa Thomson, Audit, becomes Director. Raemond joined Johnston Carmichael in 2006 as a student on the firm’s graduate programme. Having specialised in audit for many years, in 2021 he moved to business advisory and now plays a key role in the team that provides Johnston Carmichael’s outsourced finance services. Lisa heads up the Aberdeen office’s audit department. She undertakes audits across a wide range of sectors and has significant experience of leading large audit teams with international aspects. She was recently granted RI (Responsible Individual) status and has been featured in ICAS’s “Top 100 CAs under 35”.

Aberdeen based Align People HR has appointed Anisha Badial as their newest HR Assistant, marking a significant addition to the team. Anisha joins the firm after six years of employment in the hospitality industry.

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ON THE MOVE

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Marino Keith

Sally Collie

Harley Sherret

Leon Dashwood

Xeretec, a leading provider of managed print and IT services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Marino Keith as the new Managing Director for the North of Scotland. With a remarkable tenure of 16 years at Xeretec, Marino’s extensive experience and dedication make him the natural choice to lead the company forward.

Sally Collie has joined Aberdein Considine’s wealth management business AC Wealth as Compliance Director following a near 20-year career in financial services. Prior to joining the firm, Sally was the Compliance Manager for all firms within The Financial Planning Group, whose flagship company is Acumen Financial Planning.

Patriot International has announced the promotion of Harley Sherret to the role of Training Lead. In this new position, Harley will oversee all internal and external training programmes and projects for the company.

CRC Evans has appointed Leon Dashwood as Strategic Growth Director, further strengthening the company’s senior leadership team. He will work closely with senior leaders to drive business development activities related to new opportunities and markets, accelerating the company’s growth and diversification plans.

Fidan Fyvie

Huwel Phillips and Micha Swinton

William Blake

Fidan Fyvie has recently joined Deep Casing Tools as Finance Assistant, bringing a wealth of financial expertise and experience to contribute to the company’s continued success. Fidan holds a degree in Finance Economics and has amassed several years of experience within the finance sector.

Solab IT Services announces two strategic appointments.

Huwel Phillips, the new Head of Solutions Architecture, brings a wealth of expertise in Infrastructure, networking and cloud technologies, enhancing the expanding IT team. Micha Swinton, the new Sales Administrator, plays a proactive role in ensuring the seamless handling of customer requests. These additions reflect Solab’s commitment to fostering talent and fortifying its positions in IT and sales, ensuring continued excellence in service delivery.

Finnies the Jeweller has announced the appointment of William Blake as its new General Manager. William, who joined the Finnies team in February 2020, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role, with over 15 years of experience in management positions within the jewellery and watch industry and other sectors.

ON THE MOVE

Ben Riddell

Kirsty Main

Maureen McGuire

Paul Matthew

Charlie House has welcomed Ben Riddell as Business Development Executive to help it achieve its vision of building a dedicated support centre for children with lifelimiting or life-threatening conditions and their families.

Ben has more than 20 years’ experience leading and coaching people across a variety of industries, with Charlie House marking his first role in the third sector.

Aberdeen-based full-service creative marketing agency Mearns & Gill has appointed Kirsty Main as Web Team Lead. The key appointment supports the Carden Place agency’s drive to bolster its full digital service offering.

Kirsty’s appointment takes the agency headcount to 21 team members.

Estate and lettings agency Northwood North East has strengthened its team with the appointment of Maureen McGuire to the position of Administrator and Receptionist. Maureen brings to the role a wealth of experience after working more than 20 years in the lettings industry, most recently as an Inventory Clerk with Rubislaw Inventories and Relocation.

Paul Matthew is the newly appointed Area Construction Director for CHAP Group. With over 35 years’ experience within the construction industry, Paul brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will enhance CHAP’s ability to deliver large-scale construction projects within Dundee, Perth and further afield.

Daniel Wisely

Shona Teale, Chloe Giles, Sarah Wells and Tania Qadir

Sustainable technology firm, Recycl8 has recently appointed its first graduate engineer. Daniel Wisely takes up the role at a crucial stage in the Aberdeenshirebased company’s journey to market.

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) has welcomed four new members of staff, expanding its core team to include an Operations Manager, a Business Development Executive and two Administrators. Shona Teale, AREG’s newly appointed Operations Manager, has spent her career working within the energy sector.

Chloe Giles, Business Development Executive, will work alongside Shona to support AREG’s growth, looking into new opportunities for companies of all sizes and helping to expand its membership base. Sarah Wells and Tania Qadir will work together as administrators to support the wider AREG team and the diverse membership community.

Nikki Smith The Marcliffe Hotel and Spa have appointed Nikki Smith to the new role of Marketing and Sales Executive. Nikki brings 10 years of marketing industry experience after leading multiple creative projects, social media campaigns and offering innovative ideas and strategies for local businesses and business owners.

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NEWS

Equinor awarded 39 new production licences Equinor was awarded 39 new production licences by the Ministry of Energy in this year’s Awards in Predefined Areas (APA).

Equinor was awarded 18 production licences in the North Sea, 13 in the Norwegian Sea, and eight in the Barents Sea. Equinor is the operator of 14 of the awarded licenses, and a partner in 25.

NHS workers on a mission to save 500,000 disposable cups Two junior doctors based at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) are working on a project in partnership with colleagues who run their cafes to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups used by staff, patients and visitors.

Sorcha Heelan and Emily McGuinness were working in the geriatric ward together when they decided a quality improvement project looking at workplace habits and those that create the most waste could make a big difference to the environment.

They’re both sustainability champions for NHS Grampian, taking on a little extra work alongside their daily duties to help achieve the aims of the organisation’s new Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy.

Sorcha explained: “As well as providing information sessions to encourage colleagues to reduce the amount of waste created by meal deals, snacks, soft drinks and hot drinks, we decided focusing minds on one simple switch to taking a reusable coffee cup to work might help everyone realise change is possible.

“We started just in ward 102 in June and saved 60 cups over three weeks. Since then, we have presented the project at the NHS Sustainability Network and have also been in discussion with university colleagues about delivering the information session as part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Climate change and health are linked so it’s really important to us as medical professionals.

“With the support of our colleagues who run the Aroma coffee shops who have been keen to encourage people to take their own cups for a while, we’re now in the process of advertising brand new Aroma branded ‘Keep Cups’ for just £4. There’s also an incentive for everyone visiting the Aroma cafes to benefit from a discount of 30p if they take along their own cup, or a smaller discount at their self-service machines. And, of course, there are the environmental savings to think about too.”

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“We are pleased with the award. These licences give Equinor and our partners new opportunities to further develop the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) as an energy province. We are familiar with the geology and confident that we will make new discoveries,” says Jez Averty, Equinor’s Senior Vice President for Subsurface, the Norwegian continental shelf.

“Continued active exploration is necessary in order to reduce the production decline that will occur on the NCS. Phasing in oil and gas from new discoveries will secure long-term activity and contribute to energy security in the European and UK energy transition,” Averty says.

Scottish Power to invest record amount on green energy upgrade Scottish Power is planning to spend £5.4billion upgrading energy transmission lines to enable more renewable energy to be transported south.

The investment will build four high-voltage power transmission lines, including two undersea lines running from the east coast. The location of two more onshore cables has yet to be determined.

Scottish Power’s 10-year plan is expected to be a key driver in meeting net-zero targets in Scotland and the UK, with electricty consumption across the UK expected to rise by 50% by 2035 as people shift towards electric vehicles and electric heat pumps.

The Chief Executive of Scottish Power, Keith Anderson, said the contracts are just the start of future spending by the group.

He added: “We’re kickstarting the largest overhaul of the grid since its inception.

“Our investment plans will help grow our electricity networks, grow our workforce and will provide a massive opportunity for the supply chain while unlocking growth for the wider economy.

“It is vital we get serious about getting on with the job of consenting and getting this new grid built so that we can take advantage of clean green renewables, transport it around the country and lock in our energy security and maintain the UK’s track record in leading on decarbonisation.”

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