Oil and gas is proving a major growth area for headhunter Norman Broadbent, said its chief executive Krista Walochik.

The company, which is part of BNB Recruitment, now has 14 staff in its oil, gas and natural resources division. Walochik told Recruiter that the division, headquartered in Houston, Texas, had prospered by  offering candidates who fulfil a demand for highly specialist positions requiring deepwater knowledge. It has placed 136 people in the past year, she said.

Major clients include Acergy, an engineering and construction contractor for the oil industry worldwide.

Broadbent now has three staff based in Aberdeen, the oil capital of the UK. The most recent hire there was David Bull, a former vice-consul at the British consulate in Houston. He spent 20 years advising US companies on investing in the UK oil and gas industry.
“We’re bringing market knowledge and best practice together,” Walochik told Recruiter.

Broadbent’s North Sea clients include US giant ConocoPhillips. Although North Sea oil production peaked several years ago, record high energy prices are encouraging the major explorers to use new techniques to recover more oil from existing fields. This would not have been economic at lower prices.

The division has also helped Shell find staff in Trinidad and Tobago and has worked with Spanish giant Repsol.