WEIRBULLETIN | JULY 2012
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO WEIR? KR: I wanted to join a company which offered a very different type of challenge to my previous role and which enabled me to be right at the centre of the decision making for a group. It is an added bonus to be back in the UK (I have spent the last six years living in Holland) and much closer to my family in Ireland.
WHERE DID YOU WORK BEFORE WEIR? KR: I worked for Shell for the last twenty years, primarily in a variety of legal roles. These were mostly based in London but included a period living in Houston. Most recently I was based in The Hague as the global general counsel for Shell’s Upstream International business. This also involved dealing with many reputational issues, in addition to legal matters, such as those arising from Shell’s long-standing presence in Nigeria or for the oil industry generally post BP’s Deepwater Horizon issue.
IN TERMS OF YOUR APPROACH TO LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS? KR: I have always believed that in a function such as legal and intellectual property, having the right people is absolutely key to success. Accordingly, working together with my new team and learning from each other will be critical to ensuring that we are providing the maximum added value to Weir across all its divisions. Even though I am now at an age when many people would say you are too set in your ways to change, I have never believed that to be true. The day you stop learning is the day you should probably stop altogether. One of the best ways to learn I have found is when you are mentoring others or acting as faculty on development courses.
WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES? KR: Although there are some areas of overlap between Shell and Weir in the oil and gas sector, Weir is really a completely new business to me and accordingly one of my main priorities is to fully understand the business and the issues facing it. As part of that I will be trying to visit all of the major centres as soon as I can as there is no substitute for seeing how things are on the ground to really understand the business drivers and challenges. I am also trying to meet all of my new team face to face at the earliest opportunity. The most immediate personal priority is getting my family settled in Scotland - if that goes well it makes everything else much easier!
AND YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS SINCE JOINING WEIR? KR: It is great to be joining a company with such a justifi ably proud heritage and with really great people which we all recognise is now at a crucial point in its next stage of development. I very much believe that the energy and spirit which has carried Weir to this point will continue into that next stage and continue to propel Weir forward. On a personal level, moving to Scotland has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and the welcome from people in Glasgow has been exceptional.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE WORK? KR: In addition to trying to spend as much time as I can with my family, I have always had a passion for military history and greatly enjoy the theatre and hill walking. These are all interests I am looking forward to pursuing further now that I am in Scotland (hill walking opportunities in Holland being understandably quite limited!)
Keith joined the Weir Group in mid-April, 2012, after 20 years working for Shell, most recently in Holland. He is Irish and has a law degree from Cambridge University. He qualifi ed as a solicitor in England. He is married to Rosemary and they live near Bridge of Weir to the west of Glasgow.
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