Alistair was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1963. He attended school in Turriff in the North East of Scotland. At Turriff Academy, Alistair was a hard working successful student and representative and captain of a variety of school sports teams. He studied Engineering Technology at Robert Gordon's University in Aberdeen, graduating with a First Class Honours degree in 1984 when he also won the Institute of Mechanical Engineers prize for top engineering student and the Mobil student award. Whilst a student, Alistair was Chairman of the engineering faculty events committee and secretary of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers student body.
After attending the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics – as a spectator, not a competitor - he immediately joined Britoil as a Graduate Drilling Engineer. He spent 4 years with Britoil working on various drilling engineering assignments in the North Sea and overseas, working predominantly at the wellsite offshore. In 1988, he joined Hamilton Brothers Oil and Gas Ltd and fulfilled a number of roles including Drilling Engineer, Completions Engineer and Drilling Supervisor on projects in the UK and overseas. In 1993, he joined Enterprise Oil in Aberdeen and completed several senior assignments, including Drilling Superintendent on the UK Nelson project, Drilling Manager in Peru and culminated with a position as Drilling Superintendent on South Pars Phases 6, 7 and 8, offshore Iran, based in Dubai.
In his time in the oil industry, Alistair has worked in most regions internationally and has extensive experience in all types of well engineering and operations. He has worked in a variety of countries; UK, Ireland, Thailand, Russia, Peru, Brazil, UAE, Yemen, Iran, Georgia, Turkmenistan. His extensive technical, operational and geographical experience prepared him well for what was to come.
In 2002 Alistair and two other colleagues, also from Enterprise Oil, founded SPD here in Dubai. It was and still is, the only Well Engineering Management consultancy head quartered in the UAE. In those days the 3 founders and their wives and families – including 5 young children – all shared the same house in Dubai. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. With no business plan other than to work hard the business took off. In his position as Director for SPD in Dubai Alistair has fulfilled many senior technical drilling roles for a host of regionally based oil companies, including Margham Dubai, Atlantis, Dubai Petroleum and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. He has been instrumental in growing the business regionally in the UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Oman and various countries in the Caspian. SPD enjoys an excellent professional relationship with the government bodies of all the Emirates having worked for them all – yes there is oil in all the Northern Emirates!
Today SPD remains headquartered in Dubai, but with major offices in Aberdeen, Kuala Lumpur and Aukland. Now, as part of the Petrofac Group, they are also active in large projects in Mexico, Romania and Malaysia. SPD is now a company with almost 200 personnel and a turnover in excess of $60MM per year. A true success and testament to hard work and the ease of doing business in Dubai.
As Managing Director for SPD Middle East in Dubai, Alistair is an active family man and father of 5 children. He participates and assists in many of his children's school activities at JESS Jumeirah – you can see him every November running the Coconut Shy at the famous JESS Night Market. He assists in rugby coaching at the school and is a member of various school committees. With 5 children and work he still finds time to coach some children's football teams in Dubai and has been an active supporter – with SPD – of children's sports clubs, the Oil Barons ball and related charities for many years.
Over 35 companies voted for him
Previous Oil Barons
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2010: Kevin Roberts, Hydroserv Group |
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2009: Charlie Sinclair |
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2008: Colin Finnegan, SPD |
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2007: Bobby Stevens, Stevens Supply |
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2006: Nabil Al Awali, Al Mansoori |
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2005: Frank Rooney, Haliburton |
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2004: Charlie Topp, BJ Services |
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2003: John Allison, Unique Wellube |
