Aberdeen and the north east of Scotland is shaking off years of complacency as it bids to repositioning itself in a diminished oil market, according to the boss of the region’s Chamber of Commerce.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, was speaking on the opening day of the inaugural Topsides UK 2016 conference, where he addressed an audience of oil and gas professionals on the future of the region hit by the oil price slump.
A panel discussion with oil and gas industry leaders focussed on sustainability of the industry that has been left reeling from a collapsed oil price that has cost more than 10,000 jobs in the north east of Scotland,
Borthwick said: “I think we are at a key crossroads, not just for oil and gas, but for the whole north east of Scotland.
“Having been from here originally, but having been away for more than 20 years, and looking back with interest from the outside, it was difficult not to sense a kind of inertia and maybe born of complacency that everything was just too easy.
“It feels like the smelling salts might be out now, collectively.
“I think the politicians in the region need to use this time to be brave. It’s time to play catch up on mending our creaking infrastructure and reinventing the region as a modern, vibrant place to live and work, visit, invest and do business.
“The are a lot of initiatives that are under way. The City Regional Deal and the new technology centre. We need to use this time to make the decisions to make position the region for the future and a new chapter.
“There is stuff happening in the short-term, around support such as retraining for skilled workers to ensure they are not lost to this region.
“The important thing is to focus on bigger picture, making sure the region transitions for the future.”
Topsides UK 2016, held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, is the first conference in the UKCS focusing on operating topsides facilities more efficiently through enhanced production, increased productivity and lowered operating spend
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