Murray Kerr can pinpoint the moment his ambitions were sparked – when an inspirational navy recruitment officer gave him a firm talking to.
Mr Kerr was just 17 and father to a tiny baby when he signed up to join the search and rescue branch of the Royal Navy.
Born in Glasgow, he left school at 15 with no qualifications. But five years with the armed forces gave him a chance to develop his talents. He a took several courses including qualifications in mechanical, electronic and aeronautical engineering and business management, culminating in a degree.
“It took me over 10 years to get all my qualifications. I still study to this day. I’m very keen on it,” says Mr Kerr.
Once he left the military he spent about eight years working with a range of North Sea companies as a subsea engineer, including Shell, Technip and, most recently, Genesis. Jobs took him to Nigeria, Ghana, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. But the urge to set up on his own was there from the start.
“I’ve been lucky, to be quite honest with you. I am committed to what I want to achieve in life. “When I was at school I wasn’t getting enough. Also when you’re younger you don’t care, do you?,” he adds.
“But it has not gone wrong. It has made me a better person. It gave me drive. My ambition was always to work for myself.
“Now I want to run an engineering company in Aberdeen that is well known for quality of work maintaining the good safety culture we have built so far.
“Also we are quite cheap compared to most other consultancies in Aberdeen. That has given us a good position.”
In 2012, having toyed with the idea of starting his own business for about three years, he needed money to fund his ambition. Failing to raise debt or grants at the outset, he remortgaged his house to scrape up his first £100,000.
But business proved fertile, so much so that he was able to buy an acre of land at Balmacassie Business Park in Ellon at the start of 2013, just six months after he started.
A £2million project will see the firm move into spacious new offices and a workshop next month. A further 3,350 sq ft extension, due to open in August, will feature a large indoor pit for shallow water testing. The facility will also house a new tool rental division, which will offer reel drive systems, track tensioners, winch systems and A-frames.
“This year we have allocated about £100,000 in research and development costs. We are looking at about £500,000 in capital expenditure this year on equipment.”
This is also why Mr Kerr expects to hire a further 18 staff this year.
Part of his plan is to help young people who are in the situation where he once found himself and this year the company will take on two apprentices.
“That is a big commitment for us. It is a lot of expense. For an early-on company like us it is a big step but we want to do that.
“Over the next few years we will take on underachievers and train them. It gives them the opportunity – even if they didn’t make the grade they will all make it eventually as well as gain experience which is really important in this industry.”
Murray Kerr: Q&A
Who helped you get where you are today?
George Blackwell was the Navy recruitment officer in Aberdeen in 1998. He taught me a very good lesson at that age and I needed that. From there it has been my family. Over the last two-and-a-half years I’ve been working long hours. I’ve got three children – one is 15, one is four and the other is two. It is hard for my wife.
What do you still hope to achieve in business?
I want the SengS brand to be known as a high quality subsea engineering consultancy and service company in Aberdeen.
If you were in power in government, what would you change?
I’d like to help underachievers. That means a lot to me. I remember how difficult it was for me. If I hadn’t had the opportunity with the Royal Navy at the time, I don’t know where I would be now.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Me.
What do you drive and what do you dream of driving?
I have quite a few cars. Day-to-day I drive a Mercedes but on the weekends I drive the Lotus. When we open the new office we will build a Dax 427 AC Cobra kit car. But that’s not my dream. What I really want is a Morgan 4/4. There aren’t that many in Aberdeen.
What would your children or wife say about you?
That I’m a workaholic.
Which charity do you support and why?
We support a range of good causes. SengS has also sponsored three football teams – Ellon Meadows Under 8s, Banchory Girls and Continental AFC – and made donations to a number of cancer patients to assist them in paying their bills and living expenses and, in one case, helping a family to take their daughter to Disney World in Orlando.
Recommended for you
