Spotlight: Kevin Watt - Managing Director

1) Can you tell us about your career in becoming Managing Director at KCI? What moments or experiences led you to where you are today?

I left Northfield Academy in Aberdeen when I was 16 in 1993. My first job was as an office junior with a leading distributor of non-food catering and cleaning products. That gave me a solid grounding in the world of business and the experience to develop into the MD role at KCI.

2) What do you foresee are the biggest benefits for employees and KCI of becoming an employee-owned firm?

Securing the company's legacy, supporting employee ownership and engagement, Succession planning, Attracting and retaining talent, and providing benefits to customers.

3) What values do you believe are crucial to the success of the company?

Integrity, innovation and accountability.

4)  How does KCI prioritise sustainability and ethical practice?

By making it part of every discussion. It’s the right thing to do for the planet and our people.

5) What do you think KCI’s unique selling points are? What do you think makes KCI stand apart from your competitors?

We are problem solvers, aspiring technical influencers, continuously innovating, and dynamic partners to the global oil and gas industry.

6) What is a recent customer challenge that you have come across that KCI has been able to solve?

Quite a few come to mind. A complicated and challenging wellhead isolation in The Netherlands, our first ever successful control line leak repair in Abu Dhabi that had KCI coming in on the back of several failed attempts by our competitors and another first for KCI, a complicated repair on a leaking subsea hydraulic control line in India.

7) How do you envision the future of the industry evolving in the next 1-3 years?

A focus on maximising the recovery of oil and gas reserves, minimising that recovery on the planet, and delivering a fair and equitable transition to an economy that puts the planet and its people first.

8) What do you think poses the biggest challenges for the industry and how do you plan to navigate/ overcome?

The biggest challenge and the most significant opportunity are the transitions away from oil and gas to a sustainable energy future.

9) How do you stay informed about emerging trends and technologies in your field?

Reading relevant publications, attending insightful exhibitions and encouraging the team to seek inspirational content.

10) How do you maintain a work life balance as a MD?

It’s all life. Family, friends, hobbies and work are all the same thing, requiring balance.