Aberdeen to benefit as Aker Solutions looks to recruit 200 people in UK

Energy services and technology group Aker Solutions is to recruit 200 people as it looks to bolster its UK workforce by a quarter.

The Norway-headquartered firm, which has a major base in Aberdeen, said it was targeting significant growth in renewables and low carbon oil and gas technology, led by newly appointed head of renewables in the UK, Jason Brown.

Chief executive Kjetel Digre said: “In 2025, one-third of our total revenues will come from solutions enabling oil and gas production with low-carbon emissions, and from deliveries to renewable energy projects. And by 2030, this will grow to two-thirds.

“In parallel, we aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050.

The growth strategy is bolstered with the appointment of Jason Brown as Aker Solutions’ head of renewables in the UK.

“We operate in more than 20 countries around the world, and we have some of the industry’s best experts for both concept development and delivery of new energy projects. With these extensive capabilities, our purpose is to solve energy challenges for future generations.”

In his new role Brown will lead the delivery of the company’s UK renewables growth targets. He will report to Stephen Bull, executive vice president of renewables at Aker Solutions and RenewableUK chairman.

Bull said: “Jason’s appointment signifies a commitment to strengthen our UK business by expanding our expert project delivery offering to renewables. It builds on a near four-decade legacy in the UK in which we’ve built a presence across the entire value chain.

“Our experience, expertise and pioneering technologies is easily transferable to the production of renewable energies, and this allows us to be an effective partner to our UK customers, supporting their energy transition and net zero ambitions.”

Brown joins Aker Solutions’ UK team from Malaysia, where he was head of the group’s engineering segment in the region.

He said: “Facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing across the supply chain is key to building renewable and low carbon capabilities in the UK. Aker Solutions’ pioneering alliance models bring together complementary companies to foster more efficient project delivery for the customer, while increasing learning opportunities within the supply chain.

“I think this is the future of project delivery in the North Sea - across renewables and low carbon oil and gas. It creates integrated teams which share the expertise of multiple companies while standardizing work processes, reducing cost and ultimately improving overall project delivery.”

The firm’s wider recruitment campaign sees it increase its global workforce by 14 per cent, from approximately 15,000 to 17,000 - adding 2,000 positions across several key regions including the UK, Norway, India, Malaysia, the US and Canada.

Earlier this month, Aker reported solid numbers for the closing months of 2021, including a strong forward order book.

Digre said: “I am happy that we delivered another solid quarter both operationally and financially, and pleased with our performance in 2021 overall.

“The year was successful for Aker Solutions on many fronts, delivering improved profitability, strong order intake and with key commercial successes related to our transition journey.

“All our key figures increased from the year before, and we delivered on our financial targets.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions