November’s Faces of the Industry takes us to the North Sea market with Alasdair Buchanan, COO of LR Senergy. With a career spanning more than 30 years, including leadership roles at BJ Services and Halliburton, Alasdair has earned an impressive track record in international operations, leadership, developing corporate strategy and growing organizations globally.
 |
|
Alasdair Buchanan. |
Childhood aspirations proved a catalyst for his colorful career, which has fueled his passion for travel by taking him to almost every corner of the world.
OilOnline recently had the opportunity to hear Alasdair’s perspectives on his career, advice for others working in the industry, the outcome on the vote for Scottish Independence and other key issues facing the North Sea.
What did you aspire to do?
As a schoolboy in Thurso, in northern Scotland, I knew very early on that I wanted to get into the industry. There were lots of people leaving the area to move into the energy sector as it was very exciting. The opportunity to travel and experience new cultures was also a draw. When I left Thurso High School, I was certain I was going to be a chemical engineer. I got a job at the nearby Dounreay nuclear power site where I worked for a year before going on to study for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in the subject at Edinburgh University.
How did your career begin?
I went straight into a job via BJ Services’ graduate training program after leaving university in 1982 and spent the next 28 years of my career with the company, latterly as vice president of international operations based in the US. I initially worked offshore in the North Sea, where I actually met James McCallum, LR Senergy’s chief executive officer, for the first time. He was working on the Britoil graduate program while I was doing my training.
I went on to work on onshore and offshore projects around the world as region operations manager for Europe and Africa, and then as regional manager for a number of other regions including Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa.
On leaving BJ Services in 2010, I worked at Halliburton as senior director for global strategy and then as UK vice president before being approached by James to join LR Senergy as COO. It was the first time we had worked together since the early 80s. It’s come around full circle!
Was there a key turning point in your life that changed your course in a different direction?
Joining LR Senergy was a turning point, as it offered a very different working environment than I had previously experienced in large publically traded NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) listed companies. It was refreshing to be in a private company and to have the freedom to make decisions fast and responsibly without the ‘red-tape’ bureaucracy that can slow decision making.
What advice do you give to those looking to pursue an oil & gas career?
Oil & gas is an excellent industry to work in. There have been significant developments in technology over the past 20 years and new techniques that make it very exciting. Flexibility is a key attribute. You need to be able to travel, because experiencing different environments in different parts of the world is very valuable. Gaining hands-on field experience is also key – you can’t manage operations from behind a PC. I’d also say be prepared to follow safety regulations to the letter.
What’s your top life lesson you live by or top career life lesson you want to share?
Leadership by example. I don’t think you can run a company and dictate to others how they should behave, without exhibiting the values and behaviors you expect those who work for you to display.
We understand that LR Senergy just completed a poll on key issues in the North Sea. Can you give us a sneak preview of your top 2-3 findings?
After becoming a part of Lloyd’s Register (LR) Group last year, we conducted an industry poll with its engineering, technical, and business services organization, LR Energy, to find out what people thought was the main one out of five crucial issues affecting the North Sea’s future. The key issues identified are the knowledge shortage, decommissioning, supply chain, operating costs and technology. As part of our “Collaboration is Key” campaign, the findings showed that almost half of all respondents (44%) consider operating costs to be the primary issue followed by technology (19%), decommissioning (14%), supply chain (14%) and knowledge shortage (9%).
We hope the campaign will be a catalyst for ongoing industry engagement which produces constructive and tangible results.
Are we making too much out of the skills shortage ?
The industry is right to be concerned about the skills shortage because the situation has heightened due to a number of factors from the aging workforce and evolution of the industry, which means that one of the key challenges is having the right people with the right technical skills.
But, while there are an extensive number of industry initiatives to help address the issues, it’s important that companies also play their part. LR Senergy is involved with a number of partnerships with universities and educational institutes. For example, we joined forces with the University of Aberdeen to launch a pioneering collaboration in direct response to the growing demand for petrophysicists.
What is your reaction to the Scottish referendum?
One of the key issues for LR Senergy wherever we’re operating in the world is operational costs and robust regulatory regimes. Therefore, what we hope for following the referendum is that the current levels of government commitment to the energy industry continue and, if anything, increase.
The North Sea energy industry has created a great environment and opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop technically innovative products and services. As the energy sector in the North Sea has matured, increasingly creative solutions have been required to overcome technical challenges, but more needs to be done to encourage further investment and to help ensure reserves are fully exploited through a fit-for-purpose fiscal regime.
How would you like to be remembered? What would your former colleagues and employees say about you?
Well, if you asked my children how to describe me, they’d probably say ‘he’s quite intense and quite sensible’ so chances are my colleagues would say the same! But, on top of this, I like to think that I’m very approachable and supportive of my colleagues, and with the utmost integrity. I like interacting with my team and passing on the wisdom I have gained from my experiences and mentors. I suppose I’d like to be remembered for making a difference and improving the structure of businesses that I’ve been involved with and, as part of this, helping to support and develop talent of the future.
His children and colleagues would most likely agree with his conclusions. Alasdair is a leader who understands that success goes beyond just him. He is passionate and intense about helping his organization thrive by investing in people and ground-breaking technologies to continue the momentum into its next exciting chapter.
Subscribe
