In a climate where many companies are looking to tighten their purse strings, it is heartening to know there are plenty of north-east firms still on the lookout for acquisitions.
Aberdeen-based Senergy is one such example and Neil Campbell, its chief financial officer, revealed there is cash available for investments during 2009.
Mr Campbell, who joined Senergy in late 2006, said the four-year-old firm was now targeting potential acquisitions overseas after a historical focus on the UK.
Senergy founder and chief executive James McCallum has temporarily moved to Abu Dhabi as part of a drive to double turnover over the next three years.
The firm’s recent growth has already resulted in turnover hitting £70million over the past 12 months, but just 20% of this figure came from outwith the UK.
Senergy, which employs about 380 staff and around 70 contractors, aims to achieve half of its turnover growth in the next three years from the Middle East.
The firm is also looking beyond its traditional oil and gas market.
Mr Campbell, 40, said: “Our skill set is shaped to deliver fully integrated energy services which, increasingly, applies in the alternative-energy sector.
“The United Arab Emirates in particular has declared its ambitions in renewables.”
The company was formed in January 2005 through the merger of subsurface and field-development consultant Reservoir Management and well-construction and project-management firm Xcavo.
Senergy’s CFO is tasked with the job of seeking out new opportunities for growth worldwide.
Before his appointment, Mr Campbell sampled life on the other side of the corporate finance fence as both an adviser and an investor.
He believes his background equipped him well for the challenges of his current role.
Mr Campbell said: “I am probably quite unusual for a CFO in the sense that I have been the proverbial gamekeeper and then the poacher, before becoming the subject of advisory and investment market attentions.
“I’m now working to put my professional background and experience to good use, driving one of the linchpins of our growth plans: building our activities and presence in target markets around the globe, not least via acquisition and merger opportunities.”
Senergy is also looking to develop existing operations in the UAE, Malaysia, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
The group was active on the acquisition front last year, but those deals were much closer to home.
Its takeover of the consulting and technology businesses of Northumberland-based renewable-energy specialist Econnect Group in September was its fourth of 2008.
Alford-based Floyd became Senergy Floyds through its acquisition by Senergy in January last year.
In March 2008, the group took over marine geotechnical and offshore technology consultant Isis, including operations at Inverurie and Bath, and late last summer Senergy unveiled its acquisition of well-engineering consultant Leading Edge Advantage.
Senergy delivers consultancy and operational services to more than 100 energy-sector firms worldwide.
It has UK offices in Aberdeen, Alford, Banchory, Bath, Edinburgh, Guildford, Hexham and London.
Overseas, the company operates from offices in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Melbourne and Perth in Australia; Moscow in Russia; Stavanger in Norway; and Wellington in New Zealand.
Mr Campbell hails from Johnstone, in Renfrewshire, but is from Aberdonian stock.
The Glasgow University graduate got his career under way through formal accountancy training with professional services company Ernst and Young (E&Y).
He was with the firm for 15 years, first in its Glasgow office and later in the Netherlands, Belgium and America before moving north to Aberdeen in 2000.
The strong grounding in business he gained at E&Y led to work in corporate finance and, eventually, mergers and acquisitions.
He also gained substantial experience advising clients on fundraising, development capital transactions, acquisitions, sales, joint ventures and listings, or as he puts it: “the whole spectrum of corporate-finance services.”
Mr Campbell ultimately led E&Y’s oilfield service corporate-finance business in the UK before deciding to switch to Bank of Scotland Corporate. He was the bank’s director of integrated finance specialising in oil and gas investment business prior to joining Senergy.
Mr Campbell said: “The prime reason I joined Senergy was that the shareholders showed a clear ambition to build an energy service company.
“They were in the embryonic stages of forming the strategy, which has now been developed into an integrated services model which will be built globally through organic and acquisitive growth.
“We have already built a solid international platform through our 15 locations worldwide, so we have a sound understanding of how various markets operate.
“We will use that knowledge and our proven track record in these markets to support further growth.”
A keen mountain-biker, Mr Campbell regularly cycles between his home at Cults and Senergy’s headquarters in Bon Accord Crescent, in the Granite City.
He also enjoys rock-climbing, football, rugby and golf, but with two small children at home much of his spare time revolves around family life.
Young Alfie, nine months, and 4-year-old big brother Conor are keeping their dad and mum, Caroline, on their toes.
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