Saltire fellow brings fresh investment to Scottish shores

One of Scotland’s first ever Saltire Fellowship graduates will head up a new European facility in Glasgow for international energy services company, Shaw Pipeline Service.

Shaw Pipeline, part of Canadian energy giant Shawcor Ltd, will establish a new facility at Hillington Park Innovation Centre to further grow and expand its customer base for innovative industrial pipeline testing services.

The company, which was formed in 1991 to commercialise internally developed ultrasonic pipeline girth weld inspection technology, will invest over £1m in developing a state of the art centre at Hillington to adapt and develop its proprietary technology to fit new sectors and markets.

Jim Duffy, (42), one of the first graduates of Scottish Enterprise’s Saltire Fellowship Programme, has been instrumental in bringing this company to Scotland and will lead the new operation. 

Jim is one of fourteen businessmen and women who have completed an intensive year-long international programme, devised to give them the skills and entrepreneurial drive to transform Scottish companies into global businesses of scale.

Jim spent four months at Babson College in Boston, the world’s top ranked business school for entrepreneurship, before undertaking a placement with Shawcor in Houston.

The facility will be opened in January 2010 and is expected to create up to fourteen high value jobs within the next two years.

Jim said: “Scotland was chosen due to its terrific talent pool within engineering combined with innovative technologies that will be necessary within the energy sector over the next 20 years. 

“Shaw Pipeline Services views Scotland as an environment which supports and nurtures innovation within companies and that, coupled with the support from Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, meant that Scotland was a forerunner in securing the company’s new European business development facility.”

Irene Johnstone, director of international networks at Scottish Enterprise said: “To have secured new business investment to Scotland as result of our first Saltire Fellowship programme is a tremendous achievement. 

“We are delighted with the success of the inaugural year and the wealth of practical knowledge Jim has gained from the Saltire Fellowship Programme will certainly give Shaw Pipeline’s Scottish facility the best possible start.”