The director general of the Institute of Directors was in Aberdeen yesterday to hear about the needs of the oil and gas industry and to give his views on the prospects for business in the UK.
Miles Templeman, on his first visit to the Granite City with the organisation, told 35 IoD members at a lunch meeting he believed the UK economy was still “bumping along the bottom” and businesses were holding back on investment decisions.
He said uncertainty over US and European economies and planned public spending cuts in the UK were affecting the outlook, however, he added that his impression was that the Aberdeen economy was stronger than in other parts of the UK.
Mr Templeman also discussed the coalition government and how his organisation was responding to it.
He said that so far the IoD had found the government’s attitude to the business community was very positive.
He added that it now needed to deliver on addressing the country’s financial deficit and said difficult decisions should not be delayed.
Mr Templeman went on to an afternoon meeting with representatives of Oil and Gas UK, Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future, the oil and gas industry’s technology facilitator, SeaEnergy Renewables, Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, Fairfield Energy, Subsea 7, Centrica and Senergy.
Cameron Ramsay, chairman of IoD Aberdeen, said: “The IoD has a good track record for lobbying government and raising issues of national importance.
“We hope that, having heard from people at the sharp end of the oil and gas and renewables industries in Aberdeen, Mr Templeman will take a strong message back about the needs of the offshore energy industries when he returns to London.”
Recommended for you
