EDITOR INTERVIEW
In conversation with...
Mike Boyer, Director at Services to Associations and Industry in the Lubricants sector (SAIL)
Where/when were you born & a bit about family/ early years? I was born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire in 1962. My father worked for what is now GCHQ after a distinguished career in the Navy. When I was just a few months old, he was posted to Hong Kong for three years which, sadly, I was too young to remember much about. On returning, we moved to Winchester, Hampshire, and later, when I reached secondary school age, to Cheadle in rural Staffordshire. That’s where I spent my formative years—quickly learning it was path and bath rather than parth and barth.
What did you want to be growing up? I had my heart set on becoming a policeman, but I failed the eyesight test. I think police forces today are more accommodating, but that ship has definitely sailed. Ironically, there is an element of industry policing and education in my current role as Director of SAIL.
Education – where did you go, what subjects did you choose and why?
I left school at sixteen, having performed spectacularly badly in my O Levels.
What was your path to higher education? I was a bit of a late developer. In my mid-twenties, I realised my handful of O Levels wouldn’t get me very far. Fortunately, my employer at the time supported me through day release and evening classes in various supervisory and management courses—knowledge I’ve relied on ever since. In my early thirties, I joined Lubrizol, who kindly sponsored my MSc in Lubricant and Hydraulic Technology. To add to the challenge, my two children were born during that time, and I also took on the renovation of our family home.
56 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.190 DECEMBER 2025
First job – where and when, what did you like about it and what did you not? My first proper job was as a trainee manager with Tesco. It felt great to take home what seemed like a decent salary, but I was envious of friends who had taken the conventional A Level route to university.
Career mapping – how has it led to where you are now?
I’d like to say I had some grand career plan, but in truth, it has been down to hard work, luck and timing, and having the support (and occasional push) from my now ex-wife, who encouraged me to take on challenges both in education and in my career.
Are you a lifer? How do you see your career panning out?
At 63, I don’t plan to work for too much longer. That said, I really enjoy what I do, so I’ve no immediate plans to hang up my boots—just don’t expect me to still be working in 20 or 30 years!
How has the industry changed since you started? Looking at the lubricant industry specifically, not much has changed. The cycle of new legislation, OEM hardware changes, and technical/formulating challenges remains very similar to when I joined 25 years ago.
That said, I do feel loyalty between employers and employees has become somewhat one-sided in recent years.
What do you like about the industry? And what would you change if you could? The oil industry often gets bad press, but I like to think that by developing lubricants that enable engines
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