By Scott Wright

TWO North-east oil and gas industry heavyweights have launched a recruitment company focused on the energy sector.

Recruitment Ventures has been established in Aberdeen by 17V Renewables, the investment company founded by Doug Duguid and Michael Buchan.

And it has begun life with the acquisition of Granite Recruitment, which has a background in the oil and gas jobs market, from recruitment company Clan Partners, for an undisclosed sum.

The Granite Recruitment staff, including the management team of Craig and Laura Phillips, will transfer to Recruitment Ventures. They will assume the respective roles of managing director and operations director.

Granite Recruitment has seven staff in total at its office in Aberdeen, and two at its branch in Norwich. The Norwich office will remain unchanged, but the operation in Aberdeen will move to Recruitment Ventures’ new headquarters in Dyce.

There are plans to double overall staff numbers at Granite Ventures to 24 over the next year.

Recruitment Ventures said it would build on Granite Recruitment’s oil and gas industry focus and “first class” reputation in the supply of skilled and engineering personnel for the drilling, maintenance, well services, and pipeline and process sectors.

At the same time, 17V said it planned to expand in the specialist renewables sector through another portfolio company, Ingenii, which will work alongside Granite to service the energy transition.

Mr Duguid and Mr Buchan are well-established figures in the North-east, having build up and sold two international businesses in the last 17 years. PSL Energy Services and EnerMech Group were acquired by Halliburton and Carlyle Group respectively.

Mr Duguid said: “We are delighted to bring on board Craig Phillips and his highly experienced Granite Recruitment team which will underpin the growth of Recruitment Ventures into a major brand. Our vision is to continue providing high quality personnel to the oil and gas sector and to assist our clients transitioning to net-zero.

“As part of that approach we will also support the just transition of many talented people into the fast-developing renewables space.

“In time, we will add to our portfolio with a blend of organic growth and where appropriate strategic acquisition, broadening out the Recruitment Ventures brand into niche areas which require highly skilled personnel.”