Subsea Specialist Flexlife Opens New UK Base and Appoints Director
Flexlife, an oil & gas industry specialist in subsea project and integrity management, has opened a new base in Newcastle and plans to recruit 25 staff by the end of this year, rising to 50 within 18 months.
The award-winning company has appointed Andrew Lake as Director of Operations in Newcastle. He is a Chartered Engineer with more than 30 years experience, including senior roles at Soil Machine Dynamics, BPP Technical Services and Wellstream International. He holds a 1st class Mechanical Engineering degree and is a Member of both the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Association for Project Management.
As well as attracting new recruits into the industry, Flexlife believes the location will be a draw to many workers who commute weekly to Aberdeen and other energy hubs at present. The office is at the newly developed Baltic Place on the quayside near to the Millenium Bridge.
Chief Operating Officer John Marsden said: “We know from our experience that there is a talented pool of highly-skilled staff in the Newcastle area and we are hoping to tap into that. We have the best team in the industry and are confident we will quickly attract the same calibre of staff for our Newcastle office. We are already off to a great start with Andy taking charge of our operations in Newcastle.’’
Mr Lake said: “Flexlife is experiencing a period of significant growth and the new office will expand our capability to offer specialised support to our clients. The choice of Newcastle for this latest expansion recognises the skills in the region and will be a new addition to the growing subsea sector in the North East of England.”
Mr Marsden added: “Flexlife has continued to build on its reputation for offering a full subsea integrity and project management package, assisting clients to cost-effectively manage all of their subsea assets and infrastructure. Looking ahead, the Newcastle office will provide us with the capability to expand our range of services to include front end engineering design to support the ongoing work for our clients.”
Flexlife reported an increase in turnover of more than 50% for year ending 2010/11, with a rise from £4.8million to £7.5million. A further rise to £17.8million is predicted for 2011/12.
As well as the new office in Newcastle, Flexlife has moved into premises in Brazil and taken on a new global HQ in Aberdeen. The company also operates in Africa, the Far East and Mediterranean and staff numbers globally are expected to reach 120 by the end of this year.
