Biographies

After graduating in 1986, Bob Keiller worked as an engineer for BP, becoming a chartered engineer in 1990.  He was then head-hunted by a technical consulting company where he worked for two years.  He was head-hunted again by oil producer Amerada Hess in 1992, where he held a variety of management roles across the group.  Further career progression at Amerada Hess would have disrupted his children's education with overseas postings, so an offer to join Halliburton in January 2002 was irresistible.

In May 2002 Bob became head of UK operations for the Production Services division within Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR).  Bob re-focussed the business, assessing key strengths, divesting non-core assets and improving tender success from one in ten, to nine in ten.  Following this success, Bob was made Global MD of the Production Services division in 2004 (www.psnworld.com).  

Recognising that business model for Production Services differed from the rest of KBR, (it was less capital-intensive and had a lower risk profile), Bob saw the opportunity to spin out the division.  Bob secured over $400m (US) of funding from the Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance and on 1st May 2006 created PSN through an award-winning $280million (US) management-buy-out. 

Since the origination of the deal, Bob has overseen a 20% growth in the business with EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) several million dollars ahead of plan.  PSN has also created over 2500 new jobs globally and now employs a network of over 8,500 people, working in 20 countries, across five continents.  Bob's charismatic leadership style, technical operational experience and outstanding commercial acumen has lead the creation of a company with turnover of over $1.2 billion, an order book worth more than $2 billion and work secured until 2013. 

Under Bob's leadership, PSN won the ‘Management-Buy-Out' of the year at the 2006 Scottish Business Insider Deals and Dealmakers awards ceremony, the National Business Awards for Scotland 2007 award for corporate social responsibility and the Scottish Offshore Achievement Award 2007 for ‘succeeding through people' for creating a corporate culture that inspires the business leaders and technical champions of the future.  Bob was declared Entrepreneur of the year at the Entrepreneurial Exchange awards ceremony 2006 and was Insider Elite KPMG Businessman of the Year 2007.  Bob is also currently Chairman of the Offshore Contractors Association whose members employ 2/3 of people in the UK offshore oil and gas industry. 

Chris Gorman OBE, DUniv FRSA, Team Adivsors (www.teamadvisors.co.uk).  A successful serial entrepreneur, Chris has headed several highly successful ventures in technology and retail businesses.  A founder shareholder in UK mobile phone retailer DX Communications, Chris then went on to create the internet services company, Reality Group.  Current business interests include a number of mobile and internet enterprises including Quintessentially, purplelounge.com, AWOMO,getfitwellness.com, MyMart.com, Lucid PR as well as being an Advisor to Bebo, the social media network.

Highly regarded, Chris has received many business awards for his entrepreneurialism over the years including Ernst & Young Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year, UK E-Business Entrepreneur, Young Business Leader of the Year, Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland in Business, and the laudable SBAAT Businessman of the Year Award. 

In June 2005 Chris was delighted to receive an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to business.

Chris is a regular speaker at business events and has featured in several business related TV shows. Chris lectures in schools and universities and is an honorary professor in business at the University of the West of Scotland, which also bestowed an honorary doctorate in business upon him.  As well as supporting many charities, he is Chairman of The Entrepreneurial Exchange and Governor of the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama.

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