Aurora Energy Services recently appointed Tom Smith as chief operating officer as it closes in on further acquisitions that will lay the foundation for establishing a 100 million pound revenue business.
Smith, the former general manager of the Mergers & Acquisitions office at the marine energy and infrastructure specialist Acteon Group, previously worked with Aurora owners Doug Duguid and Michael Buchan at EnerMech and PSL Energy Services when they grew both businesses into global concerns. Relocating from London to Aurora’s Aberdeen headquarters, Smith will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at the start-up, which has already completed two acquisitions and is near to finalizing a U.S. addition to its services portfolio. His wide-ranging experience in energy sector operations is coupled with high-level project management, business development, and commercial roles in markets across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Doug Duguid, Aurora chief executive officer, said Smith’s appointment would ensure the smooth integration of recent and new acquisitions, a key component of the short-term business strategy, while supporting organic growth in sustainable energy sectors.
“Tom has been in the energy industry a long time and has worked his way up the ranks, which gives him an excellent insight into running a business from the ground up,” he said.
“His wider experience in operations, mergers, and acquisitions and renewables will be a great asset as we merge our recent acquisitions and look to add more services around the world. He is pragmatic, has superb people skills, and I know from working with him over the years that he has a very good cultural understanding, which is important for managing a diverse workforce and molding the different components in to a successful customer-focused operation.”Prior to working for Acteon, Smith held a senior European business development and project management role for international strategy consultancy Calash Group and was country manager for EnerMech in South Korea.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in an energetic and ambitious business, which is focused on developing a ‘customer-focused’ reputation in the renewables and energy transition space,” Smith said. “Aurora has huge potential, and I am really looking forward to playing a key role in the company’s organic growth and international expansion.
I am passionate about developing a diverse workforce, and I am keen to bring in fresh talent to the sector who will be excited and attracted by the training and growth opportunities we offer, and who will have a clearly defined succession route throughout their careers.” The company’s business plan is to create a 100 million pound turnover international energy services provider over the next five years by providing services to the oil-and-gas sector and supporting energy transition to net-zero by targeting the wind, solar, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, pumped hydro, and waste-to-energy sectors.
In renewables, Aurora provides services including inspection, repair and maintenance, engineering, and installation support, while its training and accreditation expertise supports experienced oil and gas workers in transitioning to renewables. Its design engineering, fabrication, and site installation capability is centered on the oil-and-gas sector but with an increasing focus on transitioning to renewables.
More info www.auroraenergy.co
