As a proud Aberdonian Neil Carr’s story is one of resilience, determination, and an unwavering work ethic.
Growing up in a financially tough environment, the entrepreneur learned early on the value of hard work—juggling multiple jobs while pursuing his education.
Neil had seen the struggles his mum had gone through as a single parent with four children and knew he wanted to create his own financial stability.
The 40-year-old is now the co-founder of safety equipment and marine surveying firm AMS Global Group with a £6m turnover.
Juggling jobs
Growing up Neil admits to having a “rough childhood”.
From the age of 12 he started delivering papers and selling toffee round the doors.
Neil left Cults Academy at the age of 17 and was still unsure what career path he wanted to take.
He went to Aberdeen’s Nescol and decided to study for four Highers.
Neil said: “When I was at school I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, but we obviously had the oil crash, so I’d made a pledge to myself I wasn’t going to go into oil and gas.
“I was going to focus on construction or property or something along that kind of lines.
“So I went to college and studied there.”
Whilst there Neil continued to combine work with studying to support himself.
He took on a role at Stewart Milne’s timber frame systems factory.
The dad-of-one said: “I was from quite a poor background. I worked probably 30 different jobs at the same time.
“From 12, I was doing papers, selling toffee, delivering milk, and working at the Spar.
“When I moved into town, I got a job glass collecting and working at Costa Coffee in the morning, then going to college in the afternoon.
“Basically it was 24 hours a day trying to make money to survive and also try to get my education right so I could move on.”
Change of career direction
The hands-on experience at Stewart Milne opened his eyes to the world of quantity surveying, leading him to pursue further studies at Aberdeen University where in 2004 he did a MA honours in land economy and management.
During his time at university he took on a job as a marine tank cleaner for Taylor Industrial Services.
Neil, who is married to Connie, said: “I was working weekends and evenings cleaning out oil fluids from ships, hulls, and tanks, working in the dry docks.
“At that point, oil changed from being $15 a barrel when I was at school to $140 a barrel.
“So I gave up my ambitions of going into property and decided to become a marine surveyor.”
In 2012 he joined Marex where he worked as a marine surveyor for a year.
While there Neil, who describes himself as a “people person”, realised he enjoyed helping and supporting people and it saw him study to become a safety coach.
He then transitioned into a safety coaching role at Bibby Offshore in 2013.
However, the oil downturn in 2016 forced him to re-evaluate his future. “Because oil had dropped so much, so had the workload for Bibby Offshore.
“They had to make redundancies, and we all had to reapply for jobs. I was successful in keeping my job, but I realised I wasn’t really in control of my future.
“That’s when I decided to do something for myself.”
Start of AMS Global Group
In partnership with Gary Bruce, Neil founded AMS Global Group in 2016.
The company started with a first-year turnover of £150,000 and has since grown to more than £6 million, employing 50 people across locations in Aberdeen, Peterhead, Humberside, the Caspian, and Africa.
The marine services specialist, based in Palmerston Road, focuses on the offshore energy industry, offers a range of services including bulk cargo, marine technical expertise, safety solutions, and disinfection services.
He said: “I wanted to create somewhere that was good to work, where people really enjoyed turning up.
“I get a lot of satisfaction knowing we’re supporting, the north-east, I’m a born and bred Aberdonian.
“I really like that we’re supporting families. When we first started the business, almost everyone we took on had been made redundant from someone.
“At the moment, we’ve got 50 people employed. But if you look over the nine years, we’ve probably given work to hundreds of people.
“The first four years we doubled in size every year with people and turnover.”
‘We were dirt poor’
Despite AMS Global Group’s impressive success, Neil remains grounded, shaped by his tough upbringing. “I was brought up by a single mum with three brothers.
“We had quite a rough childhood. To say we were dirt poor, we didn’t even have dirt. From a very young age, it was important to create financial stability.
“That hunger has driven me because the last thing I ever want is to be unable to look after my family.
“I came from nothing, so for me it’s always been about making sure that me and my family are going to be looked after.”
Neil admits running a business hasn’t been easy and describes the challenges of the post-Covid as some of the most “traumatic” he’s had.
He said: “The highs and lows of being a business owner are extreme.
“If I was giving advice to anyone starting a business, it would be to get people around you to share the mental load.
“It’s exhausting. I can see why businesses go bust after five years – it’s a long haul.
“The post-Covid era, was some of the most traumatic years I have ever had.
“You didn’t know which businesses were still going to be here, or who was going to be able to pay you.”
‘Privileged to be part of Aberdeen’
Looking back on what he’s achieved since being a young boy he’d describe himself as lucky.
He said: “I’ve always felt privileged to be part of Aberdeen because I’ve never struggled to find work.
“You could have had 10 jobs a day if you wanted. I feel very lucky. You’re only ever a couple of bad decisions away from things not going well.”
Neil, dad to two-year-old Harris, is now looking forward to the birth of his second child with Connie in August.
Conversation