Xodus Group appoints Manager for UK subsea and pipelines
Global energy consultancy Xodus Group has installed a new Manager to lead its UK subsea and pipelines division. Nigel Underwood will oversee Xodus’ international subsea and pipelines work, re-joining the firm nine years after his first spell there.
Xodus Group is an energy consultancy which provides engineering and advisory services to clients in the oil and gas, renewables and utilities industries worldwide. Its portfolio of work includes the development of subsea infrastructure designs, rigid and flexible pipeline and riser design as well as cables and interconnectors.
Boosting the firm’s expertise, Nigel Underwood has been appointed as a new Manager to head up the company’s London based subsea and pipelines division. Underwood will now oversee Xodus’ international subsea and pipelines work, from concept through to detailed design and delivery.
Rebecca Hewlett, Xodus’ Operations Director for London and the Middle East said, “Nigel has extensive experience across subsea and pipelines projects ranging from concept to decommissioning. He has also supported many energy producers, finance houses and legal firms for expert witness, due diligence and assurance scopes throughout his career. There’s been a trend of several former employees re-join us recently which reinforces the positive culture Xodus promotes and we’re happy to have Nigel back leading our subsea and pipelines team in London.”
As mentioned, earlier in his extensive career, Underwood previously spent three years as a Consultant with Xodus in Perth, Scotland. That was before lengthy spells with S2V Consulting and Ovivo took him to Petrofac, where he spent the last year as Consultancy Manager. He has worked across roles in senior management, engineering and materials development over 25 years in the onshore and offshore engineering industry.
Underwood commented, “It’s great to be back with this fantastic integrated team. From my previous time at Xodus, I know how many great people are here and the company has gone from strength to strength in the time I’ve been away developing into a true energy consultancy. I’m obviously joining at a time where many businesses in the energy sector are facing tough decisions, however I know we have some of the greatest minds in the industry who have the ability to deliver the best advice, always putting our clients’ needs first.”
Closure of fossil-fuel plants and a fall in demand due to Covid-19 sees CO2 emissions cut by one-third in the first quarter of 2020. At the same time, it has seen a large spike in the usage of renewable energy in the UK grid – with the country subsequently doing without coal power for 18 days in a row – the longest period since the industrial revolution. In this time of uncertainty and rapid change, many companies in the energy sector will be looking to consultants to help them navigate the shifting market.
