Darren's story
I’m the eldest by four years. Stuart and I both attended Tain Royal Academy where sport played a big part in our lives. I competed for Scottish schools and was an indoor 400 metre record holder, Scottish 800 metre champion and played a lot of basketball.
Academically I did OK. My Higher results weren’t stellar but they were sufficient for me to leave school for Heriot Watt University at the end of fifth year. Perhaps embarrassingly, this wasn’t part of a grand masterplan. I picked up a prospectus at a careers fair, flipped through it and the course imagery and description sparked my interest. Growing up where we did, I passed rigs in construction at Nigg on my daily journey to school, so the industry was always at the forefront of my mind.
I enjoyed the overall university experience but found parts of my course challenging; a research placement at bp made me realise that I thrive on practical, hands-on activities. My graduation coincided with a downturn in the oil industry, so countless job applications led to nothing. I had all but given up - and was preparing to join the Royal Marines as an officer - when I got a phone call from a drilling company inviting me for an interview. Fortunately, the interview was very practical, and I was offered a trainee engineering position, going straight onto an offshore/onshore rotation. From there I was sent on a three-month assignment to Venezuela: I returned five years later!
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have had some very good mentors, which has been key to my own growth and development. Another cornerstone of my career has been the exposure I’ve been given to different areas, from onshore and offshore rigs, working environments, languages and job functions.
When another industry downturn led to a significant scaling back of my role, I realised that I still had too narrow a skillset. It was a breakthrough moment, which led me to consider an MBA. A move to a role in Dallas allowed me to expand my practical experience beyond engineering and operations into contracts, negotiations and marketing. I then had the chance to play a key role in opening a new service division in Aberdeen, which was another valuable experience. My next role as a Commercial Manager, where I was responsible for 50 rigs across the globe, was a real turning point in terms of international travel and high-level exposure to other executives. Completing my MBA with London Business School rounded out my leadership portfolio.
A two-year sabbatical in South Africa preceded my return to Aberdeen and the drilling industry. Seven years ago, I joined Borr Drilling, a new start-up. Today we’re one of the biggest jack-up drilling contractors in the world. That’s what I like: the high-octane rush of putting a business together.
Stuart's story
Like Darren, my school days were dominated by sport. I was the Scottish Champion and Scottish record holder for the 400 metres and represented Scotland internationally.
Academically, school was challenging. I stayed on for sixth year - mostly because I didn’t know what to do next – then left for North Glasgow College to study outdoor education.
After achieving my HNC, I realised that I enjoyed sports as a participant, but teaching wasn’t for me. I didn’t finish my HND and worked two part-time jobs to make ends meet.
During this time, the company that Darren worked for was looking for rig crew. I applied but was told I’d been unsuccessful. It was a bit of a wake-up call: I was working two jobs, had no money, but didn’t want to return home feeling a failure. I was unsure what to do and kept working away.
Several months later, the company I’d interviewed with got back in touch. They now had a position for me. I went offshore as a Roustabout and began my career in energy.
I quickly realised this was something I enjoyed. Before I went offshore, Darren said, “You’re representing me – don’t let me down.” That stuck with me. I worked hard, reading books at night, and was promoted to Roughneck, then Assistant Derrickman. The health and safety culture offshore was very different then, however. Feeling increasingly frustrated, I resigned and gained my NEBOSH certificate with a view to getting into safety.
Once qualified, I delivered safety behaviour training to various organisations, including bp. They liked what I did and offered me additional opportunities, including a two-year appointment at the Sullom Voe Terminal, which bp owned at the time.
The next call led to me working as a Safety Training Coordinator for a major company in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. I then received the opportunity to come back to Aberdeen as an advisor onshore, covering Aberdeen, Canada and Azerbaijan. A merger – involving a move to Houston – acted as the catalyst for me gaining operational exposure. I had access to functions such as HR, commercial, procurement and operations, plus further international travel.
From there I moved into an Assistant Rig Manager position, progressing to Rig Manager and gaining several awards.
The 2016 downturn saw me spend my next three years on a side project in Baku. I found the work unfulfilling but stuck it out before gaining a Rig Manager position in Saudi Arabia, which rounded out my exposure to the different styles of drilling operations.
This eventually led me to Odfjell Technology, where I am today. I joined as Rig Manager and was asked two years ago to be Country Manager. I became Vice President in February this year.
On reflection, that first break as a Roustabout was fundamental. I started to understand how my brain worked because I had the capacity to be more practical. Learning suddenly became so much easier.
Now in its eighth year, #NoWrongPath is a social media campaign led by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) to provide young people with reassurance and guidance on exam results day. Learn more about the campaign here.
