Supply chain industry body Subsea UK has added three new members to its board after a record-breaking rise in membership.
Three new board members were elected to the group’s board at their annual general meeting – joining six who were re-elected.
Chevron’s Peter Blake, David Sheret of Bibby Offshore and Martin Sisley of Ocean Installer will add their experience to the supply chain body.
The elections come after a year which saw membership of the subsea group rise to 290 firms – around 90% of the subsea industry.
“Our three new members are drawn from all areas of the subsea industry and bring a range of experiences and viewpoints,” said Subsea UK chief executive Neil Gordon.
“I am sure that each of them will play a valuable role in further shaping and developing our organisation to help members meet the challenges within an increasingly competitive market.”
They join Shell’s Frank Bee, BPP Tech’s Geoff Lyons, Ian Mitchell of BP, Ashtead Technology’s Tim Sheehand, John Mair from Subsea 7 and Brian Green of Severn Subsea, and will help the body address key supply chain issues over the next year.
“Although skills shortages remain a key challenge, there is also strong recognition of the need to better exploit the potential for UK subsea expertise in international markets and the need to improve connectivity within the supply chain,” said Gordon.
New board member David Sheritt said the group also needed to work on addressing the increasing skills shortage problem facing the offshore industry.
“The main challenge our industry faces is sustainable recruitment,” he said.
“Faced with a limited pool of skilled people, our sector is finding it hard to compete with the significant salaries offered elsewhere across the globe and we must address this if we are to retain our competitive edge.
“The platform to exploit global subsea opportunities is there, but there needs to be a focus on innovating and nurturing young talent and encouraging them to enter the industry.”
