John Scott
CEng, BSc, MBA
Director and Management Consultant
I have over forty years’ experience in upstream oil & gas, refining and gasification and infrastructure development from opportunity capture and conceptual design through design and construction to operation and abandonment. I have held senior management or executive roles with financial and operational responsibility for business units and subsidiaries, and had corporate responsibilities in Texaco, Foster Wheeler and Petrofac. I have extensive experience in strategy development and implementation, portfolio optimisation, commercial negotiation and corporate re-structuring.
I sat as a senior executive on corporate teams and committees for HR recruitment and development, strategic planning, technology development and M&A programmes. I have led R&D initiatives to develop patented upstream technology and managed successful acquisition and divestment campaigns for Texaco, Foster Wheeler and Petrofac.
I am familiar with corporate governance requirements in the UK and internationally, and have led audits and been audited for regulatory or internal compliance in Texaco, Foster Wheeler and Petrofac. I understand how to identify, quantify and mitigate risks ranging from financial and reputational risks through project delay and budget risks to HSE risks during construction and operation. I supported Texaco’s response to the Cullen Enquiry into Piper Alpha and helped develop the ALARP approach and procedures now widely applied in the industry.
I have a long history of international business in major enterprises working with politicians, authorities, civil servants, NGO’s and pressure groups so understand the many conflicting demands facing businesses. I currently work directly with governments, academia, businesses and trade bodies and regularly organise and host business forums, seminars and government delegations to transfer technology, develop human capital and raise the profile of the UK’s business capabilities.
My career began in construction of major facilities in UK, Argentina and USA before joining Global Engineering where I built a small team of six pipeline engineers into the Offshore Technology Division of 120 pipeline, subsea, structural and marine specialists. In 1988 I joined Texaco to manage its UK R&D programme and its portfolio of North Sea prospects. I was then being promoted through roles in Aberdeen and Houston to General Manager of Latin America/West Africa and the Corporate Strategy Team. After the Chevron take- over I took responsibility for EMEA Gasification and helped divest the business unit to GE in 2004. I then repatriated to join Costain in UK to manage an EPC for a Nitrogen Rejection Facility in Mexico before joining Foster Wheeler as a Project Director.
In 2008 I moved to Director of FW’s Oil & Gas Division to lead conceptual and front-end projects worldwide, and then was promoted to GM of the EMEA Upstream Division. In 2011 I developed the business plan for a new upstream business unit in Woking which I then successfully set up and managed, successfully exceeding the plan’s business targets within two years.
In 2013 I joined Petrofac as a Project Development Director to integrate sub-surface, engineering, operational and commercial experts into a dedicated group to support internal and third parties’ assets worldwide, delivering many successful projects before helping reorganise the company. In 2013 started a management consultancy and now provide advice, coaching and strategic planning support to businesses, Boards and individual executives in the UK and internationally.