OPITO names ex-Petrofac man as director of strategic development

Global standards and workforce development organization OPITO has named a new director of strategic development.

OPITO said on Thursday that it appointed Mark Cullens as the new director of strategic development. Cullens joins OPITO from Petrofac Training Services.

In his previous company, he was the director of business development for the Eastern Hemisphere but will now support OPITO as it extends its skills and workforce development internationally.

With a 20-year career in training and education, Cullens will be based in Aberdeen and spend time supporting other regional operations centers across the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Americas.

John McDonald, CEO of OPITO, said: “OPITO is recognized globally for the standards we set, however, there is growing interest in the workforce development programmes that we offer in the UK from other regions, and we plan to extend engagement and support to our international stakeholders. Mark has outstanding experience in the development of skills initiatives, and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to our leadership team.”

Before his appointment in OPITO, Cullens spent five years with Petrofac, based in Sharjah where he developed strategic training projects for national and international oil companies and sovereign wealth funds.

He previously worked with Petrofac as the head of business development in the Middle East and spent four years as principal and general manager with the Proclad Group where he established a commercial training center in Dubai.

His career started in education and was previously the assistant principal of business development at the Fife College in Scotland.

Regarding his appointment, Cullens said: “I’m looking forward to extending the reach of OPITO to maximize opportunities for the industry around developing their workforces and raising competency. OPITO has a fantastic legacy of successful initiatives along with useful tools, and we will actively be engaging with governments and oil and gas companies to offer support.”