Switzerland-headquartered  geotechnical engineering and offshore drilling company Geoquip Marine has announced the appointment of industry veteran Jean-Luc Laloe to its Board of Directors.

Jean-Luc, who has almost 40 years of experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, has joined as an independent non-Executive Director.

Jean-Luc originally entered the Offshore Engineering and Construction industry in 1980 and in the course of his career he has worked with Technip, Stolt Offshore, and Acergy /Subsea 7. He has held a wide variety of positions with a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including CFO and CEO.

Jean-Luc becomes the second major board appointment to Geoquip in a matter of weeks and he will work with Arvid Trolle, who joined in the Autumn, Chief Executive Officer Stewart Higginson and Executive Chairman of the Board Andrew Wright. Further independent non-Executive Director appointments are expected in the near future as the company’s growth continues to develop.

The appointments follow a major investment in the company by Njord Partners, following two consecutive record-breaking years for Geoquip in 2017 and 2018, in which the company delivered in excess of a 100 per cent increase in profits year on year.

Stewart Higginson believes that the appointment of Jean-Luc Laloe will directly benefit the company in a variety of ways. “We are delighted that Jean-Luc has agreed to join us. We specifically identified him as a key addition to the team not just for his industry experience, but also because of the knowledge he has accumulated as a Board Director and a hands-on member of the senior management team of a wide variety of business within the offshore services sector.