Staff Stories: Elliot Smith

I started out in the Oil & Gas sector working as an ACFM Operator on downhole tools. I'd become interested in Inspection services, and went on to undertake various training and courses so I could pursue an Offshore Inspection career specialising in NDT and Rope Access. I did this for three years before an opportunity came up with the same company to go to Trinidad & Tobago to set up an Inspection Services office there.

I seized what felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel and actually ended up seeing a lot of the world over the next several years, as I went on to set up further satellite offices in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

These roles involved a lot of business development activity, but as newly established facilities I would become involved in all areas, from recruiting and managing offshore personnel, preparing proposals and quotes, through to customer satisfaction. I learnt a lot during the time, especially around driving operational growth and efficiency.

Working in the Caribbean was amazing and they all had their appeal, but I especially enjoyed Egypt for its rich history.

Travelling at a young age was great and brought some amazing opportunities. The overseas experience helped me build a huge range of skills and knowledge that you just don't get from staying in one place. It also exposed me to a lot of client-facing and key account management work which helped me realise my drive lay with business development and client relationship management.

There really is no typical day, other than we have to be available to the needs of the industry - which usually means being very reactive. We often have to mobilise Personnel at extremely short notice, so you have to be able to down tools and mobilise fast.

A large part of my role lies in the day-to-day operations - overseeing the management of equipment and personnel, ensuring equipment is maintained and managed, and acting as a focal point for client technical enquiries and after-service.