© Supplied by NSTA and Scottish Re Nic Granger, chief information and financial officer at the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) received an OBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours.
Granger, who sits on the regulator’s board, was given the accolade in recognition of her services to digital transformation.
She joined the government organisation in 2016, helping to lead its digital and data strategy, including setting up the National Data Repository (NDR), which now contains more than a petabyte of data.
The NDR holds information reported by petroleum licensees and offshore infrastructure owners. It can then be used by carbon storage or offshore wind companies to help assess suitable locations.
Granger said: “It never even crossed my mind that something like this was on the cards. I think our successes have been approaching our work with a mindset that we need digital solutions that work for people and businesses and serve a real-life purpose.
“The tech solution is the easy part. It’s bringing people along with you that’s the challenge – and brings the real change. You can put in a new system, but it only works if it works for the people that use it.”
© DC ThomsonClaire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, also received an OBE, honouring her services to the economy and business.
Holding her position since 2017, Mack has led the organisation’s work to support the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy industry through a momentous decade for energy policy.
Prior to Scottish Renewables, she was director of policy and place at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry – now Prosper.
In addition, she was recently appointed as the co-chair of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) which complements her membership of the First Minister’s Energy Advisory Board.
Commenting on the announcement, Scottish Renewables chairman Adam Morrison said: “Claire has expertly led our industry through a transformational time and has firmly established renewable energy’s place in Scotland’s economy.
“She has done so with passion and integrity, whilst developing an incredible team at Scottish Renewables, a team that has grown and gone from strength to strength through her leadership.”
© Supplied by HydraB GroupJo Bamford, a clean energy entrepreneur and executive chairman of the HydraB Group, was also honoured with a CBE.
Bamford has been a long-standing champion of clean energy, creating a portfolio of companies dedicated to building hydrogen infrastructure and driving investment across the value chain.
He rescued bus maker Wrightbus from administration in 2019 and has since turned it into a major zero-emission manufacturer, supporting more than 10,000 jobs across the UK and exporting electric and hydrogen buses to countries including Germany, Australia and Hong Kong.
Bamford is also at the forefront of Project HySpeed, a landmark clean hydrogen mega-project which will inject £6.5bn of private capital into the economy and create 24,300 jobs across the UK’s industrial heartlands, while his HYCAP investment fund has backed global climate technology and alternative energy production.
The citation for his CBE said it was for services to innovating the clean hydrogen economy.
Bamford said: “I firmly believe the UK has what it takes to be a global leader in clean energy and net zero gives us the chance to develop a bountiful energy market that powers our industries with home-grown capacity, generating a booming jobs market that develops careers and skills, creates UK products for home and for international markets, and waves the flag for the United Kingdom.”
© Supplied by POWERful WomenMonica Collings, chairwoman of POWERful Women, was also awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
She was recognised for services to diversity in the energy sector, reflecting her contribution to both the UK energy sector and a more inclusive workforce.
A statement from POWERful Women said: “Her passion in championing sustainability and equality is clear, as is her track record – an award-winning CEO (the only female head of a domestic energy supplier at the time), a high profile portfolio chair, NED and strategic advisor in the industry, a mentor and PfW ambassador and now – we are delighted to say – our chair.”
© Supplied by Global Underwater HuSteve Wisely, senior vice-president with Subsea7, has joined the board of industry body the Global Underwater Hub (GUH).
Wisely will also lead GUH’s new contractor leadership forum, which will be launched later this year.
The forum will bring together the major underwater contracting firms with the supply chain in a collaborative environment that is focused on solving the technical challenges of operators and developers.
GUH chief executive Neil Gordon said: “Steve is widely recognised and respected across the underwater industry with extensive knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing the supply chain in energy transition and the blue economy.
“He will be a valuable addition to our board which sets and steers our strategy of supporting and growing the industry across all sectors from oil and gas and decommissioning to offshore wind, wave and tidal, defence, aquaculture and telecommunications. He is also well-positioned within one of the largest EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) firms to lead our new leadership forum.
© Supplied by EservAnita Avgucevica, business development manager at Eserv, will relocate to Houston to drive the company’s growth in the US.
With a career spanning both energy recruitment and operational roles, Avgucevica has firsthand experience dealing with the industry’s challenges with skills shortages and knowledge gaps.
Eserv provides digital twin technology for complex industrial assets. This year saw the company secure £4 million in new orders for 2025 in addition to the strong pipeline of existing contracts across Europe, Africa, Singapore and Middle East servicing oil and gas, carbon capture and storage, decom, nuclear, thermal and renewable markets.
Avgucevica said: “The US market offers huge potential and I’m ready to build on the success we’ve already seen in other regions”.”
© Supplied by Dr?gerAndy Jones has taken on the role of rental and safety services (RSS) business specialist at Blyth-headquartered safety technology company Dräger.
Jones will use his experience in sales, compliance and safety-focused solutions to help grow the company’s RSS offering across the UK and Ireland.
His appointment reflects Dräger’s strategic investment in its RSS division, which provides customers with flexible rental access to its safety equipment. The service offers full calibration, servicing and end-of-life support, helping businesses to reduce capital expenditure while maintaining high safety and compliance standards.
Jones said: “To be the first person in this role is a real privilege. There’s already strong momentum within the division in places like Aberdeen and Krefeld (Germany), and I’m looking forward to building on that, helping to develop a consistent, scalable service that gives customers more choice and even greater value. With the backing of a trusted global brand like Dräger, the potential is huge.”
© Supplied by Select SurveysJake McCabe has been appointed as managing director for utility surveying organisation Select Surveys.
McCabe has previously consulted for Select Surveys, part of the LSBUD Group. In his new role, his immediate priorities centre on achieving operational excellence and bolstering the company’s reputation.
This includes maximising operations, refining internal systems and establishing solid groundwork for further expansion.
McCabe said: “Select Surveys has a strong foundation and, for me, stepping into this role means building on that to drive the business forward. It’s about bringing clear direction, energising the team and making sure we deliver for our clients with consistency and confidence.
“I want to build the groundwork for growth so that in five years’ time, Select Surveys is the only name to turn to within the industry – trusted, innovative and efficient, with a strong team and a solid client base.”
© Supplied by ApacheGreg McDaniel and Donald Martin have been appointed to key senior leadership positions at Apache to lead North Sea late life operations.
McDaniel takes on the role of senior vice-president for international assets and will manage UK operations in addition to his role as country manager for the company’s Egypt asset.
He has been with Apache since 2001 and has served in operational and management roles with increasing responsibilities in the Permian Basin, Canada and Egypt. He previously worked at Chevron Petroleum Company.
Meanwhile, Martin has also joined the company as vice-president for decommissioning. He has 20 years of operations and decommissioning portfolio experience, most recently as the head of decommissioning and projects at Spirit Energy E&P.
McDaniel said: “I am looking forward to helping the team manage late-life operations and begin planning our decommissioning journey.
“Donald brings a wealth of knowledge to our existing decommissioning team. Together they will utilise their extensive expertise while collaborating with the industry’s outstanding supply chain in the region to retire the Beryl and Forties fields safely.”
Apache had previously said that it will cease operations in the UK by the end of 2029, blaming the impact of the windfall tax.
© Supplied by FulkrumLouisa Poole has been appointed as the chief financial officer at Fulkrum.
With a career spanning wealth management, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and private equity-backed ventures, Poole brings a wealth of expertise overseeing global financial operations in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US.
Fulkrum global vice-president Brock Falkenhagen said: “Strengthening our existing leadership team, Louisa’s extensive expertise will support our ongoing financial strategy and international expansion.
“Louisa’s pragmatic leadership and commitment to operational excellence are matched by her passion for giving back to her local community which is demonstrated through her work as a voluntary governor and trustee for a large hospice. We look forward to working with Louisa as we enter this next period of growth.”
Her appointment follows a successful 2024 for Fulkrum in which it achieved over 40% year-on-year growth and expanded its service portfolio with the launch of asset integrity management (AIM) services.
© Supplied by AggrekoChris Smith has been promoted to head of temperature control for the UK and Ireland at energy solutions specialists Aggreko.
Bringing over 22 years of experience at Aggreko across Europe, Smith is set to lead Aggreko’s support for industrial HVAC contractors, engineers and facilities management companies across sectors, including manufacturing, data centres and construction.
This includes providing temporary and supplementary cooling, heating and dehumidification solutions to assist on sites during maintenance works, system upgrades, temperature spikes and in emergency outages.
Smith said: “With unrivalled experience in the power sector, Aggreko is best placed to ensure that our solutions are powered to operate as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Our experience in across Europe, where extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns are more common, we are accustomed to help our customers handle any challenges that may present themselves across the year.”
© Supplied by Visas2Visas2, a global mobility provider offering visa, passport and documentation support, has launched.
With offices in Aberdeen and London, the move follows the strategic acquisition of Visa Group, a London-based provider with an extensive track record.
The business is spearheaded by Aberdeen-based Neil Thomson – well known in energy and mobility circles, and previously founder of The Visa Team, which he sold to a global firm in 2020 – alongside industry expert Faisal Syed, founder of Visa Group.
The move combines more than 80 years’ experience with a smart, scalable service designed to support time-critical travel and international workforce movement.
Power Moves is kindly sponsored by the good people of JAB Recruitment.
