| Description | Tape 1 Side A
ROBERT HAMISH MCDONALD DINGWALL born Bridgetown, Barbados 1955. Details re current position as Head of Energy, Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen, role of Scottish Enterprise. Opinion re number of support agencies. Details re Chamber of Commerce, Council, DTI (Department of Trade & Industry). National, international remit of Scottish Enterprise. Explanation of own involvement with Aberdeen, its people. Details re parents, father's work as General Medical Officer in Barbados, Trinidad. Recollections of growing up in the bush in heart of onshore oilfields. Details re siblings', family involvement with oil industry. Brother Bruce Dingwall's work with his own independent oil company. Reason for own attraction to oil industry. Father later Chief Medical Officer for Texaco. Details re his war service, oil company work etc. Skills of Trinidadians at directional drilling in North Sea, many living in Aberdeen. Further details of childhood, sporting activities, company life, expat community. Impact of Vietnam war on American friends etc. Description of class hierarchy in oil industry, in Trinidad, range of races. Description of parents, their interests and values, sense of discipline, attitudes to religion; their influence. Recollection of time spent with father when he was on the job. Value of childhood environment to present work. Details re paternal grandfather, shopkeeper in Peterhead. Details re other grandparents. Education: Fettes College, Edinburgh. Recollection of life in boarding school, feelings of homesickness, ways of dealing with bullies etc. Tony Blair also at the school.
Tape 1 Side B
Recollections of Tony Blair at school (Fettes College). Details re culture of school. Recollection of schooling at Fettes, also in Aberdeen, problem with lung collapse. Background to study at university, ambitions, move to oil industry. Impact of childhood experience in Trinidad, father's experience there. Importance of personal relationships, networks in oil industry. Attitude of Trinidadians to expats. Description of Aberdeen in 1979, 'Scotland's oil' move. Attitude in Aberdeen to oil, forecasts of scale of oil business, opportunities. Feelings about current attitude of people of Aberdeen to oil. Recollection of earlier negative attitudes to oil in University of Aberdeen. Reason for departure of Professor George Burnett for Herriott Watt University, consequences of this. Description of Americans in Aberdeen, reaction of Aberdonians. Situation in Shetland, Orkney. Recollection of amount of money made, spent. Impact of Tory Government (1979). Own political inclination. Details re work as Research Assistant at Institute of Offshore Medicine, Aberdeen (1979-82), safety standards etc. Recollection of first time offshore as steward on Thistle Alpha (BNOC). Description of treatment by Americans of stewards, use of drugs etc, hierarchy offshore. Details of work routine, tricks played. Description of drillers, their team work, focussed attitudes etc.
Tape 2 Side A
Description of drillers (cont'd); comparison between their work in early days and now. Significance of work offshore for later career, attitudes. Recollection of verbal abuse to catering crew. Contact with divers during work at Institute of Offshore Medicine, Aberdeen (1979-82). Recollection of them, their frontier working conditions, pay rates, dangers etc. Details re accidents. Perception then of safety standards. Recollection of work at university, politics etc involved. Situation there now, missed opportunities re oil. Background to appointment as Research Officer, RGIT (Robert Gordon Institute of Technology) Survival Centre, Aberdeen (1982-85). Attitude at RGIT to oil industry, comparison with University of Aberdeen. Current cautious attitude of Aberdeen to oil, current trends. Comparison of Aberdeen and Glasgow attitudes. Background to choice of Aberdeen rather than Dundee as location for oil industry. Place of Peterhead as an oil supply base. Impact of industrial relations in Dundee; comparison with Aberdeen, its historical context, its wealth, attitude towards big business. Attitude of Americans to unions. Details re work researching, teaching at Survival Centre. Recollection of 1986 Chinook disaster. Details re survivor, other ditchings with controlled evacuations, procedures etc. Description of dangers in platform environment. Further details re RGIT job. Impact of volatility of oil and gas industry on employment, on Scotland. Comparison with Norwegian situation. Reaction of people near gaslines not getting gas etc.
Tape 2 Side B
Comments on present situation in Scotland/UK where industries supporting North Sea oil industry dominated by Americans. Impact of OSO (Offshore Supplies Office), power of people like John d'Ancona, his remit. Comparison with Norwegian, French and other situations where their own industries supported. Effect of pressure from Margaret Thatcher, Government, permits for foreigners etc. Explanation of roles of DTI, OSO in allocation of acreage; change under anti-competitive European regulations. Background to appointment as Senior Development Engineer, Development Engineering (International), Aberdeen (1985-88). Details re work, and subsequent study for MBA at University of Edinburgh. Description of own approach to work. Current work setting up Frank Fraser Oil & Gas Journalist Scholarship. Recollection of night of Piper Alpha disaster, impact on Aberdeen. Explanation of reaction of crew of Piper who wouldn't jump into the water. Recollection of own teaching of survival procedures. Association of Aberdeen with Piper. Opinion re cause of disaster; question of ECVs (emergency cut-off valves). Background to appointment as Project Executive, Oil & Gas Division, Scottish Development Agency (SDA) (1990-1); details of job. Explanation of roles of operating companies, service and supply, contracting sector. Background to SDA. Explanation of hostile attitude of Margaret Thatcher to SDA. Lack of interest of governments in oil industry; positive attitude of Alec Buchanan Smith. Attitude to Thatcher to Scottish vote.
Tape 3 Side A
Oil produced easy money for Thatcher Government. Details. Recollection of her attitude to Scotland, reactions there to her, to poll tax. Opinion of her influence on devolution. Opinion re country's use of oil money. Description of situation pre-oil; its impact on state of country. Recollection of energy crisis. Feelings re rights, welfare of offshore workers, health and safety controls compared with onshore. Attitude to unions; their situation. Impact of OILC (Offshore Industry Liaison Committee). Comparison of offshore, onshore safety statistics. Comparison of cultures, attitudes, reputations of different oil companies. Details re BP restructuring under John Brown. Impact of BP/Amoco merger. Explanation of place of contracting companies, oil companies; situation in 1990 and now in Scotland. BP change to integrated contracting procedure, own involvement, development of strategy - recently revertion to earlier direction. Details re place of smaller companies (SMEs - small to medium enterprises). Changing relationship between small companies and oil companies when SMEs told to deal through bigger contracting companies. Explanation of cautious attitude of bigger companies to SMEs. Details re own work eg helping drilling companies to become global. Evolution of Scottish Development Agency to Scottish Enterprise; different roles, significance of inclusion of Training Agency. Explanation of importance of good managers. Structure of SE, funding arrangement with Scottish Office (Scottish Executive). Impact of Scottish politicians on oil industry. Opinion of role of University of Aberdeen in oil industry. Opinion re significance of Piper Alpha disaster on Health and Safety regime, location of responsibilities. Positive, negative impact of safety cases.
Tape 3 Side B
Details re Scottish Subsidy Technology Group (SSTG), own role. Explanation of reason for its success. Role of Jimmy Hay as Chairman. Details re overseas involvement, membership of Group. Description of Balmoral Group, its culture. Opportunity for Scottish Enterprise resulting from OSO changes. Powerful role of John d'Ancona, description of him, his attitude to Scottish Enterprise. Difference in approach of SE and Government departments. Recollection of efforts to get part of DTI to Aberdeen, reaction of London civil servants. Voluntary role on advisory group for CRINE; details of activities; reaction of unions. Explanation of significance of CRINE for industry, dialogue with Government, building trust. Details re SE Oil & Gas Company. Story re Conoco's decision to establish base in Aberdeen, errors in consultants' advice re cost of living in Aberdeen, London; role of Sir Ian Wood. Appointment as Manager, International Markets Development, SE (1993-5) - best job ever. Details re role, travel; dealings with other countries; frontier days introducing Aberdeen companies to international market. Recollection of near miss re Russian air crash; other difficult, unusual Russian experiences. Description of robust Russian aviation equipment; basic flying culture. Details re marketing opportunities in Russia; evolution of market. Details re changes to Aberdeen export figures. Explanation of development of more understanding relationship with DTI. Lessons of Brent Spar issue (1995), use of media, results of the issue. Attitude of Greenpeace. Background to promotion to Head of Oil and Gas Team, SE (1995-6); changes in SE tactics re network with the industry; importance of networking.
Tape 4 Side A
Recollection of impact of 1986 oil price fall on companies in Aberdeen compared with earlier crisis times; better management. Description of oil industry personalities, eg Jimmy Hane, BP, Alan Jones; Chris Fay, Shell; Sir Ian Wood; Sid Fudge, Kvaerner; Larry Kinch; Tommy Druin [Dreelan], PSL (Progenerative Services Ltd); Richard Marshall [Marsh], Tritech International; Douglas Craig, Craig Group; John Beaton, Dundee. Examples of competitiveness between these people, their motivation, enjoyment of cutting deals; comparison with London equivalents; their backgrounds. Explanation of difficulty negotiating with Russians, Aberdonians; Aberdonians' difficulty negotiating internationally. Comparison between Aberdonians and Glaswegians as salesmen. Details re Dundee & Angus Oil Venture Group. Current prospects in Aberdeen. Details re Aberdeen Harbour Board, Peterhead, Dundee Port Authority, Cromarty Firth, their attitudes. Significance of Aberdeen Harbour. Appointment as Head of Energy Group, SE (1996-present); director of LOGIC (successor of CRINE). Details re LOGIC. Involvement with RGU (Robert Gordon's University) Engineering Advisory Board; Technology Transfer Board, Herriott Watt University. Details. Own priorities for industry: internationalisation, diversification. Details. Future prospects for Aberdeen. Importance of high value jobs. Significance of Shell, BP new investments in North Sea. Reasons for North Sea being good to do business in: tax; infrastructure; stable political environment; prolific reservoirs. Details. Attraction of oil industry in own career. Details re aspects of job, contacts with politicians, industry at senior level. End of interview.
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