Dr Derek Shepherd becomes Chairman at a pivotal time for the company as it continues to build on its spectacular growth surge across all its divisions.

Dr Shepherd spent over 25 years with Aggreko plc, the renowned leader in the supply of temporary power and temperature control products rising to become Executive Director and overseeing expansion across Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. His international markets knowledge and experience will compliment Edinburgh Instruments’ own international aspirations.

“Derek Shepherd is a proven leader who has demonstrated his value to the energy and construction industries,” said Alan Faichney Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Instruments.

The Board believes that Derek can assimilate his experience and skills required to further assist our exponential growth internationally.  Our global vision remains core to our continual success.”

Commenting on his appointment as Chairman, Dr Shepherd said;

“It is an honour for me to be appointed chairman of one of the most innovative high-end scientific instrumentation companies in Scotland. I am delighted to take on this role.

“Under Alan Faichney’s management, the company is well placed to leverage further global opportunities and my broad international experience aligns perfectly with his own aspirations for the company.

Moreover, I want to help build momentum through the organisation, ensuring we can attract the next generation of scientific engineers to help extend our R&D capability.”

Dr Shepherd, who holds an honorary doctorate in engineering from Heriot Watt University, is chairman and founder director of University of Edinburgh spin-out company NGenTec Limited, which developed a permanent magnet generator for wind turbines.

Other non-executive directorships include Ashtead Technology Rentals in Aberdeen, Houston and Singapore, Avalon Aviation Services in Dubai and Libertine FPE (a free piston engine start-up) and he is an Advisor to KarPower International, a Turkish company who convert ships into floating power stations.

Dr Shepherd is also a mentor for the Princes Trust in Scotland and as part of the GlobalScot network works as an advisor to Scottish companies wishing to work in the Arabian Gulf and Africa.

Not just The Times, but The Scotsman, The Press & Journal and The Courier.

Newspapers everywhere are under greater pressure than ever before to come up with the answer to how they can survive in 2012 and beyond. As they face a blitz attack of competing communications channels from Twitter to Facebook, the position of traditional newspapers is under threat, so it is not a light-hearted matter – far from it – and is one which has an impact upon everyone in business.

This January alone we witnessed different tactics being adopted by three of Scotland’s main dailies. The Scotsman announced it is making a full digital version of the newspaper available via its newly launched iPad app while both the Courier and the P&J have shifted from broadsheet format to compact in a bid to revitalise the product.

The reason for such moves is an attempt to maintain income flows and/or arrest the decline in circulation figures which have been steadily spiralling downwards, in the main due to the numbers of people turning to the proliferation of new online sources to get their information.

Those who see this as ‘market forces’ may believe it is a natural progression or ‘survival of the fittest’, and that the digital revolution will simply see new and different means of us getting our daily  information fix. Quicker, cheaper, easier. Mobile info, when I want it.

This is to miss a key point; content is the key and it must be allied to a quality, reliable source. Digital delivery does have several benefits but the proliferation of self-appointed blogging experts (and I do see the irony of using this means to express my views) cannot replace the trustworthiness gained over decades which is inherent in our principal newspapers.

It may seem odd to say that at a time when the phone hacking scandals are still having severe repercussions (and rightly so) but I believe that the publications serving Scotland’s business community have, overall, a tremendous record of delivering good quality information. Scotland’s business journalists are informed, they are integrated into the business community and they have built up justifiable reputations as good analysts who write coherently and effectively on a wide range of topics.

My concern is that we have entered an era where anyone with a PC or smart phone can become ‘an instant expert’. Bloggers, tweeters, posters all have the power to deliver their views to a wide audience, but lack the accountability (and, mostly, the experience) that mark out the Scottish media as a vital cog in the nation’s business infrastructure. Quality information from reliable sources is what we need.

Worryingly, there is a real risk that some of these important publications could disappear – to me, this is an appalling prospect. Too many people are being seduced by the belief that, somehow, the means to Tweet one’s thoughts in 140 characters is the 21^st century equivalent of the Gutenberg printing press.

I do not want to know what “Jim from Arbroath” or “Susie from Kilwinning” thinks (BBC Breakfast – take note). I want to read the reporting – and views – of someone who has, through their ability and hard work, achieved a position on a business desk and who, through continuing effort and acquired knowledge, delivers quality copy on a regular basis within a system of editorial checks and balances.

Scottish businesses need quality journalism and we must support it however we can – we risk losing it at our peril.

With so many good collaborative research projects happening across the Science Engineering and Technology (SET) fields which lead to spin-out activity and licensing deals, we’re well placed and experienced to tell their story and help further consolidate the University of Edinburgh’s position as one of the leading global institutes in commercialising much of its research activity.

We  arranged a number of site visits for some of the ‘influencer’ oil and gas trade media to cover the TQR launch event  at Oceaneering’s Rosyth plant and the resultant coverage from the trade press in the UK and the USA was exceptional….with more promised early in the New Year.

One of our articles was read by a oil industry senior executive and the delegation is coming to Oceaneering in the next few weeks to ascertain what the TQR can do for its own global subsea operations.  Watch this Space!

Here you will also find snippets of news about the consultancy and  our thoughts on a myriad of ‘non PR’ items . So please feel free to drop by and ‘Like’ our new page.

The result? We secured exceptional, comprehenshive media coverage in a raft of titles across the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry , Renewables media as well as local and national coverage too! Not only that, but by inviting a party of press to the launch, we ensured that media coverage will be ‘drip fed’ well into 2012.

Main themes concern social media now  shaping the world in how we get our information. When you add in  24/7 news channels into the equation and a mass of online news portals, then it is easy to understand why this current surge of personal choices in communication is slowly draining the profit from newspapers and magazines..The seminar looks at best practice communication and helping young companies get more out of their Twitter and Facebook campaigns.

As this editorial article in respected trade publication European Oil & Gas Journal explains, Oceaneering Umblilical Solutions has completed its R&D and due diligence and is ready to grasp a sizeable foothold in this exciting and vigorous industry.