YOU can probably conclude, given he has spent 11 of his 25-plus years in the global oil industry in senior roles, that incoming Wood Group chief executive Robin Watson is a man who likes a challenge.
That would be just as well, given the tumultuous times in the North Sea and global oil sector right now.
Mr Watson has been following in current Wood Group chief Bob Keiller’s footsteps in recent career moves. And he has a hard act to follow, with Mr Keiller regarded highly in the Scottish business community for good reason.
The tough trading conditions faced by Wood Group around the world are writ large in its shedding of more than 5,000 jobs so far in 2015, about 1,000 of them in the UK.
There was slightly better news yesterday, when Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said: “I see the first mixed signs for recovery of oil prices.”
He cautioned it would “take some more time” to rebalance supply and demand, given stock levels and greater-than-expected resilience in US shale oil production.
However, while a relief, the fact his still-cautious comments are so positive relative to what we have been hearing over recent months in itself highlights the scale of the challenges ahead.
Mr Watson will need to draw on every bit of his very significant industry experience as he addresses these challenges, which are far from elementary. Hopefully, given Wood Group’s importance to Aberdeen and the wider Scottish economy, he will enjoy success in his new post.
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