Swire Oilfield Services has reported management changes, which will assist the company's global growth and strengthen its local delivery.

Rupert Bray has been appointed as chief operating officer, having previously served as director & general manager UK for three years. Roy Burrell, Swire operations director since 2002, takes up the position vacated by Mr. Bray.

The management changes are in line with the company's global growth and investment strategy, which will add more than 4,000 CCUs to the company's international fleet this year and see new multi-million pound bases being constructed in the deepwater oil and gas hubs of Gulf of Mexico, Angola and Nigeria. The new facilities will bring Swire's extensive service offering to the local markets, while maintaining the same high standard of service delivered to the North Sea market for more than 30 years.

Mr Bray was seconded to Swire in 2007 from its parent company, John Swire & Sons, having spent twelve years working for its airline subsidiary, Cathay Pacific Airways, most recently as country manager India, Nepal & Bangladesh. As chief operating officer, Mr. Bray's focus will be the day-to-day operations of Swire's 14 subsidiary firms, the organization's continued global growth and the introduction of new product lines.

An engineer by training, Mr. Burrell joined Swire as operations manager in 1997 and was promoted to operations director five years later. He has been integral to the rapid growth of Swire's UK operations, including the construction and opening of new operating bases and refurbishment facilities in Aberdeen, developing state of the art blast and paint facilities and expanding the UK workforce to more than 100 employees. In his new role, Mr Burrell will ensure that the UK business unit remains highly responsive to industry customer requirements and is well positioned for growth during 2010 and beyond

Mr. Bray, said, "I am delighted that Roy is now heading up our UK operations. He is a hugely experienced oil and gas executive and is perfectly placed to grow the regional business. My focus is to continue our aggressive and acquisitive growth around the globe, with an immediate focus on Brazil, India and Asia Pacific, as well as the introduction of new product lines to our global group."

Mr. Burrell, added, "We have the clear objective of being the leading provider of offshore cargo carrying units to the global oil and gas industry. We acknowledge this will only be achieved if we remain focussed on delivering innovative products with the highest standards of service to our customers in our key markets. My appointment will ensure a high level of focus is maintained on our UK and European operations."

Group CEO Tor Helgeland said, "Swire Oilfield Services now serves every major oil & gas region, and these two appointments strengthen our senior management team, reflecting our ongoing commitment to continued consolidation and expansion across the globe."

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