A trio of professional services firms are beefing up their tax teams in Aberdeen to help the oil and gas industry survive the downturn.
Johnston Carmichael (JC), Deloitte and Maclay, Murray & Spens (MMS) are all adding to their Granite City presence as they try to help clients prosper in the wake of the slump in oil prices.
Aberdeen-based accountancy firm JC has recruited Anderson Anderson & Brown tax partner Richard Britten to become tax director at its office in Europe’s energy capital.
Mr Britten, a “seasoned tax and national insurance professional” with more than 20 years’ experience in international and employment taxation, has also worked for Arthur Andersen and Deloitte.
JC said he would be using his talents to build the firm’s employer solutions practice for companies, from all industries, with internationally mobile employees.
Susie Walker, head of tax at JC, added: “His appointment comes at an ideal time, as we further bolster our team to support the North Sea oil and gas sector leverage new global opportunities.”
Scottish law firm MMS has appointed Jill Reid, the former general counsel and company secretary of Dana Petroleum, as a partner to lead its oil and gas team in Aberdeen.
Ms Reid has spent her whole career to date in the energy industry, mostly in Aberdeen, initially as in-house legal counsel at Shell, Chevron and then Dana.
MMS chief executive Kenneth Shand said: “Her insight is particularly important during what is a challenging time for the industry and will help clients chart a path through the challenges that lie ahead.”
MMS has taken a series of steps over the past 18 months to grow its oil and gas team and Aberdeen office. Guy de Speville, a London-based oil and gas partner, joined from Hess Corporation, where he spent 12 years as in-house counsel in the Far East, the US and London.
Partner Bill Fowler is now mainly based in MMS’ Aberdeen office. He recently spent four months on secondment to Premier Oil’s Falklands team, assisting with preparations for its 2015 drilling project.
Craig Purdie joined the firm’s Aberdeen office from US boutique oil and gas firm Andrews Kurth in September, having previously been with Ashurst and Centrica.
International business advice group Deloitte has persuaded one of its directors, Oliver Pendred, to swap life in London with its energy and resources tax group, for a posting in Aberdeen.
He will work closely with oil and gas firms in the region to tackle a number of challenges facing the sector including globalisation, volatile commodity prices and tax changes.
Derek Henderson, senior partner in Deloitte’s Granite City office said: “The demand for skills, knowledge and innovation has never been higher. Many organisations are facing a perfect storm of developments.
“There are a number of North Sea companies looking to grow their operations overseas, as well as foreign companies with significant Aberdeen-based operations. Oliver’s appointment further enhances our ability to service that demand.”
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