Wood Group PSN’s Chief Executive Outlines Future Plans (UK)

Wood Group PSN’s (WGPSN) new chief executive, Robin Watson has outlined his ambitions for Wood Group’s largest operating division.

Watson (45), who served as the UK managing director of WGPSN for the last two years, has assumed his position as WGPSN chief executive, succeeding Bob Keiller, now CEO of Wood Group.

He also joined the board of John Wood Group PLC as an executive director on January 1, 2013.

Responsible for more than 29,000 employees and operations in over 35 countries, Watson began working for Wood Group in 2010. With 23 years oil and gas industry experience behind him, he previously held senior positions in Petrofac and ExxonMobil.

In his new role, he will be based at the company’s headquarters in Aberdeen and report directly to Keiller.

Speaking about his plans for the business, Watson said:

“My vision for WGPSN is simple. I want us to be the best production services company to work for and the best company to work with, with a focus on continuous improvement.

“I am taking up the role at a very exciting time in the Wood Group story. It’s the start of the next chapter for the company and we have a fantastic team, exciting prospects and a strong business underpinned by our core values.

“My ambition is to create further growth opportunities for WGPSN. Notable international regions of anticipated growth include the United States, Western Canada, Australia, the Middle East and the Capsian region. Expansion into the coal seam gas, shale and oilsands markets will, I believe, also present significant opportunities for WGPSN to differentiate and grow.”

Continuing he said: “The UK remains a cornerstone for the global WGPSN business. Our UK growth will be driven by the diversification of our services, namely the expansion of our project management, commissioning and decommissioning capabilities.”

In 2012, under Watson’s leadership, WGPSN’s UK business unit increased its workforce by 10%, creating nearly 800 permanent new jobs in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Runcorn and Hull. In addition, more than 100 new graduates and apprentices joined the business in the UK for the second year running.

Changes to the organisational design and leadership team at WGPSN have been a focus for Watson in his first few weeks in post. “I have restructured the WGPSN business and in line with this, expanded our divisional board,” he added. “We have a 16-strong leadership team spread across the Eastern and Western hemisphere to promote better internationalisation.

“I have also placed a large emphasis on people with the appointment of a strategic resourcing director. This is to ensure we can move the right people to the right place at the right time. Key to this will be more robust succession planning, creating global opportunities for our people to continually develop.”

[mappress]

January 22, 2013