Whether it is in engineering or hospitality, Doug Whyte, 59, has made a career out of spotting gaps in the market.
Although his subsea business and hotel are separate, both ventures have flourished due to him identifying a need for a service.
The Ramsay Arms Hotel, at Fettercairn, is an Aberdeenshire pub offering good food and drink.
Hydro Group is now an international engineering company employing more than 80 people and turning over more than £6million a year.
Aberdeen-based Hydro, which designs and manufactures underwater cables and connectors for subsea and onshore use, opened its first overseas office earlier this year in Singapore after £300,000 of investment.
Mr Whyte said the base would be fully operational by the end of August and contribute up to £1million of revenue a year.
He added: “It was important to get there, not just to target Singapore but also to have a route into Malaysia and Thailand as well as emerging markets in Vietnam and Indonesia.
“The office is already starting to generate revenue and we are hoping it will be self-sufficient within 12-18 months. The move is already leading to new orders and proving to be a good decision.”
Singapore is not Hydro’s first international foray; the company has business partners around the world and Mr Whyte said 40% of its trade was now export.
His sideline in hotel ownership came 11 years ago, when he bought the Ramsay Arms and spent nearly two years refurbishing it. Daughter Lynne now runs the business and Mr Whyte, who also has a 14-year-old son, Dechlan, and had another daughter, Karen, who died in a road accident, aged 21, said he was happy to hand over the reins. He added: “It had not seen any investment for decades. It is a beautiful listed building and I was able to restore it to its former glory. I took the most enjoyment out of renovating it; you will not find me behind the bar.”
Mr Whyte was born in Edinburgh but spent some of his childhood in Aberdeen. He returned to the north-east at 16 to study electrical engineering at the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology.
After stints with Ferranti, Seaforth Maritime and Vickers-Slingsby, where he met mentor Jim Tucker, he established Hydro Bond Engineering in 1982.
More than 30 years on, the company now serves the energy and defence industries, with projects including work on submarine platforms and acoustic ranges for the Singaporean and Australian navies.
Mr Whyte has nautical experience of his own, having regularly fished off the west coast of Scotland. He has a second home at Kames, Argyll, which is a transformed gunpowder factory.
Doug Whyte: Questions and Answers
Who helped you get where you are today?
Jim Tucker; I was fortunate to have him as an investor and non-executive director of my business, a mentor and friend. He was a very clever and knowledgeable man, who gave me a lot of guidance over the years.
What do you still hope to achieve in business?
Business success depends on courage, tenacity, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge; what we did last year will not deliver the success we need this year. Innovation from all parts of the organisation will drive the future success for Hydro Group and its staff.
What is your greatest business challenge today?
Funding for growth; we are rapidly expanding internationally which is an expensive process.
If you were in power in government, what would you change?
I’d abolish capital gains tax for small and medium businesses and instead direct more money to be invested in people and training.
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Kames on the west coast of Scotland.
What are you reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
I’m not a big TV fan. I prefer to read a good autobiography.If you were a character in a TV series or movie, who would you be? Taggart.
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I’m fortunate to drive my dream car, a Morgan, for which I waited six years.
What would your children or partner say about you?
I asked my daughter to answer this and she said ambitious, hardworking, generous and pretty chilled out.
Which charity do you support and why?
RNLI; it is the only charity I know of that is run entirely by volunteers with no paid staff.
What’s on your bucket list; the things you still want to accomplish?
I’d like to visit all the Scottish islands by boat.
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