Interview with Tom Penney, Director
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2 Aug 2022
Please tell me a little bit about yourself
I’m a real geek when it comes to the energy sector! Having such a strong interest and passion means that every day I am trying to improve by learning something new.
My career across oil and gas, energy transition and renewables began as a recruiter in 2008.
I’m fortunate enough to have worked in house with a Danish energy company in Copenhagen and also to have lived and worked in Stavanger, Norway. I have also been aboard a brand-new offshore cable lay vessel in Sweden. Working in-house with a client and having daily exposure to technical managers with such vast experience allowed me to really develop my own knowledge. This now enables me to have detailed conversations with Applica’s clients, ensuring that we fully understand the project and deliver what they really need.
I love working with our team and passing on my knowledge to them, helping them to be successful in their careers.
You look after the Scandinavian markets for Applica, what type of projects are you working on?
A lot of clients are in a period of energy transition and are looking at greener and more sustainable ways to create energy. An example of this is the further development of hydrogen production and transportation, currently a lot of research and development is happening around this. Also, electrification of offshore fields.
We still have our more traditional projects such as subsea tie backs with platform modifications; these types of projects are sometimes a more cost-effective alternative to full field developments. Decommissioning, including recycling of existing offshore infrastructure also remains a large market that we support.
These projects vary in size and scope and it’s down to Applica to find the right people to support our clients from concept through to commissioning.
What are your thoughts on future energy technologies?
I think it is really important for the industry to continuously evolve and become more efficient, developing new technology but also improving supply chains and cooperation.
There is so much talent in the energy sector and our clients are harnessing that in order to lower their emissions and become integrated energy companies. As a society we still need an energy mix where energy comes from different sources, solar and wind can be intermittent and therefore we need other sources to make the supply consistent.
What sets Applica apart to contractors?
We are professionals and we do what we say we are going to do. We treat everyone with respect and believe that everyone deserves the highest quality of service. Our values of determination, contribution, empathy, authenticity and relationships are ever present in our day-to-day interaction with our contractors. We’re building a contractor community to try and add even more value and hopefully our contractors will stay on assignment with Applica for a long time! Trust is fundamental to that; they must be confident that we have their best interests at heart.
Tell me something about you that a lot of people don’t know about you.
I spent a year working in a recording studio which boasted clients such as The Artic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs and The Darkness … I also grew up on a potato farm!