Staff Stories: Ryan Leask
16 FEBRUARY 2023
Staff Stories: Ryan Leask
Ryan Leask - Workshop Manager (UK)
On leaving school Ryan went on to achieve a National Certificate in fabrication and welding at NESCol, completing his apprenticeship with a local blacksmith. The following years would see Ryan work for several well-known Engineering firms, gaining a wealth of skills and expertise across welding, fabrication, and machining.
Ryan progressively advanced into supervisory positions before going on to run his own business providing vessel services, including full-service design and engineering.
Joining the Motive Base at Boyndie in 2019 as Fabrication Chargehand, Ryan brings over two decades of engineering industry experience and in 2021 was promoted to the role of Workshop Manager.
Almost four years in with 'Team Motive', we chatted with Ryan about his journey so far.
What made you want to join Motive Offshore Group?
Being a local company, I knew several people who worked at Motive already and I saw it was an up-and-coming company at the time, that just kept moving forward. The role was a job I knew, so I saw it as a great opportunity to utilise all the skills I already had, and continue to develop them further.
- Ryan Leask - Workshop Manager
The Workshop Manager's role is a wide and varied remit, ultimately responsible for ensuring the workshop is run safely and efficiently.
Overseeing all workshop personnel, Ryan works closely with the various department chargehands across fabrication, machining, hydraulic fitting, maintenance, electrical, and painting - ensuring project schedules are on track with the required personnel, work equipment, machinery, and materials in place for the day's jobs.
What does your day at Motive look like?
It can really vary depending on what projects are coming through the workshop.
Day to day I make sure operations are running smoothly and align with our company policies and procedures.
A big part of the role is around planning and quality - this might be around equipment schedules and maintenance, dealing with any production-related issues, purchasing materials, or reviewing and managing project costs. I regularly work with clients during site visits for audits, DNV witnessing, load tests, or certification checks. I also enjoy working with our in-house design team around drawing checks and design reviews, particularly concerning welding.
I like to keep my hand in with the vessel services and always enjoy going out on a boat job if the opportunity arises!
It's very busy at Motive. I'm a strong believer that people should be happy at work, given how much of their life is spent there. Keeping your Team's morale up and taking time to speak with people is just as important as making sure the work gets done.
What's next on the horizon for you at Motive?
The next natural step would be either an Engineering Manager role or perhaps something more on the Project Management side.
What is the best thing about being Team Motive?
Everyone here works as a team. I enjoy that at Motive there is no micro-managing - the support is there if you need it, but people are trusted and given the freedom to do their jobs which makes a much more positive work environment.
It's really good how much Motive work to help in the community with things like food banks and beach cleaning, and I try to encourage all of the team to get involved in this when they can.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I have 2 teenage children who keep me busy and I really enjoy paddle boarding and swimming in the sea, or going for walks. When the weather isn't good I like pottering in the garage or doing DIY, which never stops. Aside from that putting your feet up on a Saturday night with no interruptions is always quite fine after a hectic week at work.
What would you say to anyone considering working for Motive?
Motive is a great place to work and everyone is friendly. If things don’t always go the way they are supposed to, we take things as a team and work out a solution.
You can find Ryan on LinkedIn, or learn more about our work over in Motive Engineering
A ‘first-in, last out’ kind of guy, Ryan is a dependable and encouraging leader who drives results but always has colleagues’ best interests at heart. With a positive attitude, he can be counted on to come up with a solution in any situation. Ryan is always working hard to achieve both his personal and company goals – he is a great asset to our Team.