New Wave Media

Richard Benzie has been appointed Technical Director of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) to replace Jane Bugler who retires at the end of this month after 18 years in the role. Benzie will join IMCA in the near future.

 

“More than any other individual past or present, Jane’s name is synonymous with the IMCA brand and the objectives of the association. Replacing Jane is therefore a big challenge, but one that I relish.” says Richard. “In these testing times for our industry I am delighted to be joining an organization I know well, whose track record I respect, and which is firmly committed to the principle of helping its 1,000+ members in more than 60 countries add value rather than cost to their ongoing business around the globe.

 

“IMCA’s commitment to increased safety and efficiency throughout our sector will remain at the heart of all that is done by me and our talented team of Technical Advisers. So too will my engagement with our member companies, with the aim of ensuring that our work programs not only meet, but exceed their expectations.”

 

In welcoming Richard to his role, Jane Bugler, who is also Acting Chief Executive of IMCA, said, “Richard’s track record speaks for itself. He has been committed to marine contracting from the moment he joined the industry, and has seen IMCA at work ‘from the other side’ having held many committee positions, the most recent of which was as Vice Chairman of IMCA’s Remote Systems and ROV Division Management Committee. He will certainly be able to ‘hit the ground running’. I wish him well, and know IMCA’s technical program is in safe hands. I am firmly of the view that Richard will greatly enjoy his new role.

 

“My role over the past 18 years has been responsibility for our extensive and varied technical program and for liaison between IMCA and external organizations, including other trade associations such as OGP, OCIMF and IADC; regulators such as PSA, HSE, and USCG, and other relevant organizations. Naturally my role has included working with our expanding technical team, coordinating their work with IMCA's committees and workgroups, the preparation of technical guidance and briefing papers, review of third-party drafts, oversight of technical audits (both of applicant members and establishments seeking recognition of certain training courses), and communicating our work widely.”

 

Richard joined the industry in 1981 working first as a Mud-logging Equipment Field Service Engineer. He then moved into ROV operations and spent eight years with Wharton Williams (2W) Ltd before moving to Rockwater Ltd as ROV Project Manager and Subsea Manager, spanning a period of nearly five years. Six years at Stolt Offshore then followed where he became Group Manager – Mobile Assets after roles as ROV Support Engineer and ROV Manager.

 

He was Asset Manager at Thales Geosolutions at the start of the century and in 2001 Richard moved to Technip Offshore where he spent seven years on the DSVi Contract, a multi-Client Saturation Diving call-off Project; initially as Project Engineer, subsequently as Team Leader and finally as Project Manager; before moving to Subsea 7 as Global ROV Manager, from 2009 until 2014. Latterly at Eunoia Services Aberdeen he has undertaken business and operations management consultancy in the oil and gas subsea sector before taking up the position of Global ROV Services Manager at Forum Energy Technologies.