| Description | Tape 1 Side A: BRIAN CLARK NIXON born 2 March 1948 Bearsden, Glasgow. Came to Aberdeen, worked in downstream sector of oil and gas industry. Due to travel to Khazakstan in next day. Details re work as Director of Energy, Scottish Enterprise, travel typically involved. Reference to renewable energy, Bruce Dingwall, Scottish Oil Club. Travels by train. Explains. Works six days a week. Background to names. Recalls nicknames. Has older sister. Happy childhood home. Lived in semidetached council house. Describes Bearsden, changes in area, neighbours. Many young families around. Mentions time as bugler in Boys' Brigade. Progressed through ranks. Mentions family dog. Daughter a trombone player. Details re bugles. Music very important in family, extended family. Father a quantity surveyor, leading tenor in choirs, piano accompanist. Mother a professional singer, worked with Scottish Arts Council, performer in concerts throughout Scotland, still has her own choir, New Kilpatrick Choir, Bearsden. Own principal hobby singing. Sister also sings. Parents' names. Describes musical environment at home, singing around piano. Details re father's family background in West End of Glasgow. Grandfather a professional musician, salesman. Father spent war in Shetland working on military installations, later worked for James Barr, civil engineers, involved in Mitchell Library reconstruction. Describes him. Like father, is elder of church. He was fine piano accompanist. Relationship with him. Describes mother. At 81 she is out most nights, leading choir etc, member Scottish National Orchestra chorus, Edinburgh Festival choruses. Parents performed together. Father had choir, St Andrews Singers. Recalls three generations of Nixons singing in Ussher Hall, Edinburgh. Own children musical. Details re wife. Importance of music in own life.
Tape 1 Side B: Enjoyed schooling in Bearsden. Feelings about different subjects. Discipline tight at school. Feelings about corporal punishment. Recalls discipline at home. Attitude to getting things done, self-discipline. Never late. Reference to Boys' Brigade. Strong religious participation in family. Went through Sunday School. Continuing involvement in church. Attitude of own children. Impact of religion on work. Family not politically active, medium conservative. Own position. Need for neutrality in current work. Influence of Boys' Brigade officers. Had no career aspirations when young. Always had interest in mechanical things. Offered five apprenticeships, went to Babcock & Wilcox, Glasgow, then Strathclyde University. Explains attitude to what wanted from life. No careers guidance. Influence of technical, maths teachers. Recalls lessons from apprenticeship years. Learned core skills in mechanical engineering. Details. Importance of time on shop floor, e.g. learning about fitting components together, reliability. Mentions current cleaner coal technology. Learned about Glasgow working men, attitudes to work. Story of workers' reaction to crate containing cockroaches. Details re dealing with people at different levels. Attitude to ethical dilemmas. Had respect for people with experience. Details re Babcock & Wilcox, reason for choosing them for apprenticeship - wanted general grounding. Details re complex transport arrangement to get to work, clocking in to work. Recalls stages of apprenticeship. Details re journeyman, Norrie McLay, his mentoring, pipe smoking, approach to work. Belonged to union but uncomfortable about it. Details. Feelings about going on strike. Expected to behave like others. Not union member afterwards. Compares power of union, numbers of workers then with now. Large gap in musical activities during teenage years. Started golf early, helped by grandfather.
Tape 2 Side A: Strathclyde University an important time. Mentions having won Apprentice of the Year Award, potential career path. Background to decision to go to university. Reaction of colleagues in Babcocks. Details re study routine. Comments on value of practical experience. Returned to Babcocks 1973-5 as design engineer. Compares with previous time there, impact of having degree. Things getting tight job-wise at time. Worked with heavy industrial machinery. Became interested in commercial, contractual side, project engineering. Joined Motherwell Bridge as Project Engineer 1975-6. Compares Babcocks drawing office work with vibrant Motherwell Bridge project work, autonomy. Had two power stations to build, commission etc. Details re other personnel, own responsibilities, site management, interface with client. Mentions female graduate engineers, rare then. Explains own liking for preparation work, importance of joint strategising, own style of management, need to take people with you. Recalls early consciousness of oil industry - Motherwell Bridge constructions. Recalls early Motherwell Bridge involvement in building storage tanks etc on Flotta. Details of blind bidding process, ignorance re Flotta at time. Bed space at a premium there. Details re pipe work production process for Flotta. Difficulties getting supplies of materials from client, Occidental. Recalls double-handling, triple-handling of materials. Attitude of clients. Recalls significance of role of OSO (Offshore Supplies Office) in procurement, attitude of Americans, interest of continental bidders. Industry was capacity-driven. Explains own role. Recalls culture of Occidental. Costs of secondary importance, time was everything. Eventual British response to this. Cultural difference between American, British approach. Recalls conflict between Lloyds inspector, American customer over release of early module from Leith, last minute welding, machinery being thrown into water.
Tape 2 Side B: Motherwell Bridge (cont'd). Became project manager. Explains growth in responsibility with job at Hunterston. Went from green field state to commissioning of plant involving 7-800 people. Had company car. Influence of Project Manager John Russell. Details re own responsibilities. Worked with German client, Korf Engineering on turn-key project. Explains. Reference to British Steel Corporation, John Young Company. Recalls experience of working with Germans, their attention to detail. Details re materials procurement. Compares own role with earlier jobs. Long working hours. Details re working relationships. Explains Motherwell Bridge hierarchy, its heavy manufacturing reputation. Projects Engineering Department then new, small, headed by Denis Eaton. Details re him, his hands-on approach to management. Mentions Neil Dougan, his skills. Recalls being offered salary rise, career progression. Wanted to enter business development, sales and marketing. Details re game-plan for career. Mentions John Russell, mentor, his management technique. Recalls courting time, marriage. Details re early years, daughter. Wife graduate in economics. Hunterston a highlight projects. Appointed Project Manager 1978 with Shell Expro, St Fergus, first contractor on site. Difficult project because of volatile trade union situation, site agreement, daily disputes. Explains own responsibilities, difficulties. Intense scrutiny from client. Difficulty with constructing flood catcher with materials that didn't fit. Explains resolution to problem using computer programme. Background to difficulties, attitude of unions. Recalls union personalities, e.g. Willie Templeton, his attitude. Birth of second child. Stressful time, worked 7 days a week. Domestic situation at time. Moved to Leith 1979, worked on process modules for BP. Compares BP with Shell, different standards. Explains Sullom Voe modular construction requirements. Recalls competition between fabrication yards.
Tape 3 Side A: Recalls long period not being involved in music, rejoining mother's choir. Impact of work on family. Recalls isolation during later St Fergus period. Improvement with move to Sullom Voe project. Explains work coordinating, planning different aspects of work. Working relationships had longer to evolve, greater stability of employment. Fabrication capacity of whole country used in construction of Sullom Voe modules. Impact of oil industry on work prospects. Industry not understood by public. Recalls the stimulation of the industry, learning importance of always working on the next job, dealing with business development. No management training. Lessening of American presence. Reference to John Brown. Feelings re advent of Maggie Thatcher. Appointed Deputy Sales Manager, Motherwell Bridge, in group sales role 1980-1. Career experience, prospects at the time. Explains wider remit of job, e.g. looking for project opportunities. Involved in tendering work, overseas bids. Competition became tough in every sector. Motherwell had relied on reputation, changed this attitude. Cultural shock for company. Describes Monday morning sales meetings. Explains attitude of Motherwell. Appointment as Proposals Manager 1981 followed company reorganisation, fragmentation of departments. Explains growth in scale of projects, need to enhance presentation of company. Slowdown in offshore fabrication market, reaction of Motherwell, move to integrated mechanical, electrical work. Motherwell leader in field. Appointed Director/Senior Projects Manager, MB Services 1983-90. Worked on huge project at Lindsey Oil Refinery, technical/financial success. Details. Impact of this job on career. Built up business in England. Recalls difficulty getting BP job. Details. Headhunted by Atlantic Power & Gas offshore company, appointed Director 1990-4 to develop onshore division (from Glasgow). Started from scratch. Details.
Tape 3 Side B: Atlantic Power & Gas 1990-4 (cont'd). Background to development of company. Explains Babcocks/John Milligan partnership. Details re office accommodation. Recalls first exposure to safety responsibility at Hunterston. Importance of preparation, supervision to safety. MB Services lost 3 employees on Piper Alpha. Recalls memorial service, first hearing of disaster. Most on Piper were contractors. Industry still dangerous, accidents still happening in spite of safety environment. Occidental no better, worse than others. Comments on composition of their staff, involvement in their recruitment. Compares time pressures in construction, production phases. Built up Atlantic onshore operation from standstill to Ð5M turnover. Details re contracts with big players. Babcocks sold their 50%, company shut onshore division. Appointed Business Development Manager AOC (originally Aker Offshore Contracting) International 1994-7. Details re company. Mentions reduction in big offshore platforms, transfer of skills to onshore, project management suite of control procedures, big contracts. Responsible for onshore, later international business development. Landed major contracts. Moved to Aberdeen 1996. Many in industry commuted to Aberdeen. Mentions Glasgow oil links, Dundee's lost opportunities, logic of Aberdeen as centre. Background to offer of position with Wood Group Engineering, Sales & Marketing Director 1997-2001, company changes, opportunities at AOC. Feelings about changing jobs. Describes Woods' culture, style, capability to move quickly, compares with other organisations. Explains role developing marketing, approach to business development. Effect of Ian Wood's hands-on approach, company sharing of decision-making. Describes Ian Wood's management skills. Own responsibility for eastern hemisphere. Importance of diversity, lessening dependence on any one sector, client. Wood group role model in broadening business. Important not to leave it too late. Mentions Europeanisation.
Tape 4 Side A: Scottish Enterprise, Director of Energy 2001. Background to appointment, details re secondment to Foreign Office from Wood Group in Angola. Reference to DTI (Department of Trade & Industry). Approached to join Scottish Enterprise. Explains role of Energy Team working with oil/gas industry, power generation, renewable energy. Mentions own experience in diversification, internationalisation of companies. Providing strategic advice, direction to companies. Importance of innovation, production etc to North Sea, overseas opportunities. Response of local industries, need to help them focus in right place at right time. Plenty of energy in Aberdeen. Mentions Offshore Europe exhibition. Most companies recognise need to internationalise their business. Own view of potential. Value of grouping of like-minded companies. Reference to Scottish Subsea Technology Group, Resource environmental specialists. Assistance possible to SMEs (small-medium enterprises) getting them access to big decision-makers in Houston, New Orleans. Own future plans. Details re Scottish Enterprise staffing. Importance of developing specialisations in oil/gas, marine energy, offshore wind, fuel cells etc, having cohesive team. Nearing completion of strategy review, new projects being developed.
Tape 4 Side B: Blank
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