North Sea veteran Ray Riddoch has joined the board of px Group, which operates St Fergus gas processing plant near Peterhead, to help drive forward offshore ambitions.
Mr Riddoch stepped down as UK managing director of China National Offshore Oil Corporation International in March, having led the business, previously Nexen Petroleum UK, for nearly five years. The Aberdonian boasts more than 35 years’ experience in the industry.
He said he was thrilled to be joining px as a non-executive director at an exciting time for the Teeside-based group.
“Other companies approached, but px’s values and the way it does business attracted me,” he said, adding the firm was ready to “break the mould” in the North Sea.
The sector needs to focus more than ever on efficiency after Covid-19 and px is taking a “fresh look” at how work is executed offshore, he said.It is keen to get involved in offshore operations and maintenance service activity in the oil and gas and renewable-energy sectors.
The appetite for growth here is substantial, said Mr Riddoch, who was made an OBE in 2018 and awarded an honorary doctor of technology by Robert Gordon University last year. The company is likely to need a north-east office and bigger workforce as it moves ahead with its plans, he said, adding: “We are already talking to potential clients and demonstrating our will to do things differently.”
Last week px announced the appointment of another industry veteran, Mark Hobbs, as offshore oil and gas managing director.