ABLE UK
FORTHRIGHT AND NO-NONSENSE ATTITUDE During our interview it became very apparent that Neil does not hold back! When asked about his opinion on our launch issue he was relatively complimentary about our content and aims but he did say that the front cover ‘is a bit uninspiring’! Well we did ask for feedback so we have to take the bad as well as the good! He does it in such a nice way that you hardly notice – we can see how Neil has been so successful over the years.
COMPANY BRIEF Neil is tasked with a very varied brief and as Group Development Director is responsible for land acquisition, commercial offers and leasing, amongst many other managerial duties.
CV Neil acquired an Economics and Politics degree at University for no other reason than he couldn’t think of anything else to do! – we don’t think he regrets his choice as when discussing these particular areas throughout our interview he discussed them with confidence and knowledge. Neil is therefore not a scientist or an engineer, like many professionals in the industry, but he did confirm that he had learned a lot in the last few years.
He was involved in graduate training and industrial relations when it really meant something in the fraught period during the early 1980s. Neil then moved into direct sales “spent most of a 5 year period travelling in a plane and selling oil seals to the automotive market in my mid to late 20s – I was one of those young jet setters” he elaborated and added with a smile.
Neil, having had enough of continuous travel, left to join the CBI where he held the position of Regional Director for 3-4 years, then when in his my mid 30s became CEO of Teesside Tomorrow, a leadership group in an area where he was born and still lives.
Teesside Tomorrow then became the Tees Valley Development Company following local government reorganisation which brought together 5 local authorities into one organisation to market and deal with inward investment and wrestle with the concept of tourism and Neil was heavily involved.
Neil then took a different and interesting managerial step by becoming the General Manager of Redcar Racecourse and was very successful before moving on to take up his present post at Able UK some 3 years ago.
Neil explained “During my term in the public sector I had dealt quite a bit with Able UK and admired the way they worked so when the opportunity came I accepted it with both hands.”
“What impressed me particularly was that Able UK had stealthily acquired valuable land quietly and diligently over a period of time and which now gives us tremendous potential in what we are trying to achieve here in the company. It is a tremendous achievement. Able UK makes decisions in the long term interests of the company and not for short term gain” Neil was proud to state.
And continued “Looking at all that Able UK do now it all has a very natural fit – from initial demolition, through land remediation right through to the development of that land. Much of that land is river frontage and I think on reflection that everything Able UK has done is in preparation for this project (Humber Port Facility). We have been involved in some large scale developments but this is huge, even for us”.
THEWIDER SCHEME OF THINGS – DO YOU GET INVOLVED? “I am a governor at Teesside University and we are a member of RenewableUK however we have a lot of work to do here at Able UK and that takes up all of my time. We run a lean company and we like to keep it that way”. Neil stated plainly.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE INDUSTRY? “Every day you learn something new and each day your jaw drops further in terms of scale – ThanetWind Farm was said to be a large scale project but just look at Dogger Bank – it will be at least 10 times larger. It is an unbelievable project. It was a very courageous step for the then government to take in deciding to pioneer wind energy some years ago. The task now is to pay back on that commitment and the good news is that the signs coming from the present coalition government is equally committed, if not more so.
“It is a fantastic opportunity to create real long term jobs with the super clusters which are springing up all over the UK and involving Europe.
“The vision and dynamism of the people we have met and been involve with absolutely convinces me that what is in the long term planning stages will all happen”. Neil concluded with no shortage of enthusiasm.
We have heard this so many times we could not agree more.
Able UK Ltd
www.ableuk.com
Wind Energy NETWORK
09
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