Page 12: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jul/Aug 2021)

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PROFILE NEIL GORDON

SUBSEA UK AND THE CREATION OF THE “GLOBAL UNDERWATER HUB”

Subsea UK is embarking on a new adventure as Te Global Underwater Hub, a new organization with already nearly $18 million in funding. ‘Te Hub’ aims to leverage the UK’s strong maritime heritage, as well as its underwater expertise that transcends ofshore defense and research. Subsea UK has been around nearly 20 years, set up to champion the UK subsea industry. It was fortuitous timing, as that $2.7B CapEx

Neil Gordon, Chief industry in oil and gas grew to more than $12B by 2013.

Executive at Subsea UK, discusses the path ahead.

By Greg Trauthwein hile Subsea UK was formed in 2003 to cham- sea industry works, both offshore and onshore,” with insights pion the UK subsea industry, its predecessor on communicating to these different group.

was an organization in the Northeast of Scot- Just prior to taking the top spot at Subsea UK, Gordon was

Wland around Aberdeen called The Scottish running The National Hyperbarics center, which looked at

Subsea Technology Group. “That was a number of companies testing, training, and trials of subsea equipment and process- (30 or so) that used to come together and talk about technol- es, which again helped Gordon to broaden his knowledge of ogy because there wasn’t a forum to talk about the challenges the subsea sector as a whole. “There was also a lot of training and opportunities,” said Gordon. When the small group real- and testing of equipment like subsea control modules,” said ized the potential of linking others across the country, both Gordon. “That was an interesting period to understand what the UK and Scottish governments became involved, and sub- goes on in that subsea world, because there’s a whole plethora sequently born Subsea UK was born. of technological infrastructure happening beneath the waves.”

Today Subsea UK is an organization of 300 members with an aim to grow the subsea business domestically and globally.

A Challenging Environment

The challenges inherent in the subsea sector are well known and recorded by those who live it daily. Working in and under

Path to the Top

While Neil Gordon is the recognized public face of Subsea one of the most diffcult environments on the planet is the

UK, his early years suggested a career in his family business, entrance, punctuated by severe business peaks and troughs, not the subsea sector. And then he met Oceaneering, where particularly in the offshore oil and gas sector, that make long he was able to meld his love of business, sports and diving. “I range planning and success diffcult.

got hooked in the industry and off I went to do my training “The oil and gas industry harnessed and developed subsea in commercial diving,” said Gordon. technology, accelerating the industry massively. But some of

Over the years he worked in a host of different organiza- the biggest challenges are the highs and lows of the oil price,” tions that gave him a “grounding to understand how the sub- said Gordon. But necessity is the mother of invention, as the 12 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM