We are very pleased to welcome Graeme Wilson to the NECCUS board. Graeme joins us alongside his role as Business Development Director at Worley.
We caught up with Graeme during our annual conference event, DeCarbScotland 2023.
What is your professional background?
“Growing up, I had an interest in Maths and Physics, so decided early on I wanted to pursue a career in engineering.
I did a Masters in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde University, and during my studies I did two placements. The first was with BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, working on the Astute-class of submarine, and the second was at a consultancy, Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP).
These early experiences helped me evaluate what I wanted from my career. I was hands-on, so after graduating I joined Wood Group as an electrical engineer. I helped manage a number of projects and joined their international projects team — a small team, deployed globally to establish contracts that were significant and strategic to the company. I spent time in the Middle East, South East Asia and the US – all fantastic learning opportunities.
I joined Worley-Parsons in 2018 and became Managing Director of Scopus (at the time a subsidiary of Worley-Parsons). I looked to pivot Scopus from a traditional survey-engineering company to something more digital-focussed, and I’m proud that some of the products we implemented are now being used by customers all over the world.
At the same time, I also helped develop a portfolio of projects as operations director for Worley’s main Aberdeen business. This entailed decommissioning assets as well as my first foray into energy transition projects, such as decarbonising 45 -year old assets in the North Sea.
I currently head up business development for Worley. I help manage the transition to net zero in line with what Worley are doing as a company — our mission today is to deliver a more sustainable world. I’m really happy to be playing such a vital part in Worley’s global strategy, and we’ve had some great successes and seen significant growth in our projects.”
What made you decide to join the NECCUS Board?
“I’d been working with the NECCUS team through my role at Worley, and so I understood everything the organisation is driving towards in decarbonising Scottish industry. I felt I had a role to play — in facilitating the changes that are required and creating momentum to help move the industry forward.
I’m also Scottish — I grew up in Wishaw in North Lanarkshire — and I want to see Scotland leading by example in terms of decarbonising for the future. Scotland can be a world leader in net zero technologies. That’s something I’m really passionate about.”
What do you want to see from the industry going forward?
“I would love to see more events like this, like DeCarbScotland.
This has been a fantastic opportunity for NECCUS member organisations to come together, and for other organisations to come along and see exactly what they could get by being part of NECCUS.
We know that really good engagement within the Scottish supply chain is essential to ensure we’ve got that collaborative, community approach to decarbonising Scotland, and so more events like this is something we’ll definitely be looking at.”