IN so many ways, Sir Ian Wood provides a template for the ideal Scottish businessman.
As chairman of Wood Group, he has transformed a family trawler repair business into a global oil and gas services company. The company has thrived from its Aberdeen base in one of the most competitive sectors in the world of business. Sir Ian modestly attributes his achievements to having been in the right place at the right time. Oil exploration did begin in the North Sea in the late 1960s, but it requires a special something to make the most of the opportunities black gold presented. He is not averse to pointing out that he has worked seven days a week and expects his staff to go the extra mile. He is stepping down only because he promised his family he would do so before he was 70. He reaches that milestone tomorrow, although he will not bow out until later this year.
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