In the latest instalment of our ‘Meet the Team’ series, STR’s Regional Director, Neil Jackson, discusses his journey since joining the organisation in 2009, while providing insight into what the future holds for STR as a global provider of technology, rental equipment and data services to the offshore energy and marine science markets.
Read on to uncover what makes Neil so passionate about his work, the best piece of advice he’s ever received, and more…
As a long-serving employee, can you tell us a bit about your time working at STR?
“When I joined STR in 2009, we were a company of approximately 25 people operating in Great Yarmouth with a core focus in geophysical technologies. We have now grown to a team of 100 experts across the globe, and it has been fantastic playing my part in this exciting journey.
“I started at STR as a Business Development Manager, which was my first role in sales following a military electrical and electronic engineering background, and then working offshore in a geotechnical discipline. This experience set me up well, as I had a broad technical baseline and relatable field experiences, enabling me to deliver a strong service to our customers.
“My role has changed massively since I joined the organisation, as I’ve progressed from Business Development Manager, to Sales and Operations Manager, and now I’m a Regional Director responsible for the largest region within STR. Over the years I’ve supported the growth of our international business, travelled across the world to support customers with our subsea products and services, and helped to lead our passionate team to achieve our ambitious goals.”
What is your key area of expertise? Which of STR’s technologies are you most involved in?
“I’m generally seen as someone who has in-depth knowledge around our historical products. Since the early days, we’ve been seen as the go-to experts for geophysical survey related products, so that’s become my core area of expertise, and that really fits quite well into what's going on in the offshore energy market at the moment.
“In offshore wind, for example, the ability to map and define the seabed is critical and relies on well developed geophysical surveys. So our knowledge and experiences continue to be very relevant for our customers.”
What does a typical day look like for your role - what is the ultimate goal for you?
“My role is incredibly varied as I hold ultimate responsibility across all aspects of my region – P&L, organisation, customer relationships to name a few, but my typical day is centred around supporting my management team to deliver our day-to-day services and future aspirations.
“Everything we aim to do in the business is all about giving our customers the absolute best service we can, and for me, it’s really important that I have a purposeful connection with our customers. Even though I'm now responsible for worksites in Great Yarmouth and Aberdeen, we’re collectively working as one team, so I feel it's not only important to share my own experience but to embrace the daily challenges we often face in a reactive industry together.”
What do you enjoy most about your job? Why are you so passionate about the work you do?
“Leading a team of technical experts who provide 24/7 technical support, tailored solutions, equipment rental and services in our industry isn’t for everybody. Although incredibly rewarding, it can be a high pressure, dynamic environment where our customers' project success will often be dependent on our service delivery, but I’m someone who embraces these challenges and this is embedded in the culture at STR. Across the industry we are seeing notable advancements in data driven solutions which STR is at the forefront of providing its customers, which is great to be a part of.”
What does STR’s future within the industry look like to you over the next 3 to 5 years?
“I think the future is really bright. Supporting the transition into sustainable offshore energy is really exciting but also very important for our future, and it creates a lot of opportunities for businesses like ours who can support the industry with new technologies.
“There are plenty of transferable skills and experiences that can go into the transition, but there's a lot of new things for us to learn too which is exciting. Our R&D capability means as a company that designs and manufactures its own products, we can continually evolve and focus on the next industry needs. By utilising our domain knowledge, we're in a really good position to deliver products that support the energy transition. For example, due to an industry drive for remote technologies, our range of electric survey winches that have been used on typical survey vessels for over 20 years now have built-in features for remote operation on USVs, which is seen as the next big advancement in our industry.
“Offshore energy developments around the world continue to evolve at a fast pace, meaning our growth strategy must mirror the demands and needs of our customers. With the support of our investors, we will have an enhanced customer offering to enable a closer role with our clients and their project requirements. We've got a successful geographical footprint already, but we will continue our momentum with a focus on offshore renewable energy projects. With our increased activities globally, this creates rewarding opportunities for our team to experience working in different environments and cultures.”
Why do you think people choose STR?
“We’re perhaps not the biggest rental company in the industry but we aspire to be a market leader for service and quality, and with the support of our new investors we continue to grow and diversify in all areas of our business. For me, it's always been about our service delivery and the client relationships we create throughout the journey. I would like to think our historical and new clients can really connect themselves to our core values.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
“Working in sales, you’re inevitably going to come across challenging situations and customer relationships aren’t always going to be straightforward because they’re facing their own pressures. But don’t burn bridges - focus instead on building partnerships and relationships.
“I was given this advice early on in my career and I’ve come back to it often. It’s important to protect your professional relationships developed throughout your career, because you just never know when you’ll benefit from that relationship further down the line.”
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