Q1) What gets you out of bed in the morning (and why)?
Currently at Vysus Group we have a real opportunity to develop something special. I was excited to join as Vysus Group was borne out of what might best be described as company that didn’t quite align with its former parent. Essentially, it is the old LR Energy division reimagined. Having met David Clark (CEO) and the investors Inspirit Capital, I was excited by their plans to transform the company. It is a challenge and I like a challenge and that is what motivates me. If you can leave something in a better place than where you started, then that is usually a sign of success.
Q2) Do you have any habits or routines you follow …and what benefit do these bring for you?
I am a keen runner and I try and run every day. I find just getting some time alone doing this is beneficial to both your mental state of mind and I often think of some of my better ideas when not distracted and attached to technology.
Q3) Are there any quotes or mantras that you love &/or live by…and why?
I try and remain relatively calm with regards to work. While it is important to be successful and build value where you work, we should never lose sight of what is important in life. There is more to life than just work and it is important to remember that and that everyone finds a way to enjoy themselves away from work.
Q4) Is there a specific skillset or personal attribute you have that you can say has contributed to your own success to date?
In the workplace I think I am fairly calm and pragmatic towards problems and challenges and try to not get too up or down about highs or lows. I also feel I have a decent insight into whether people’s ideas will actually make a return. Often people want to spend money on something without a clear thought on what the return will be. It does not always have to be a monetary return but there needs to be a reason for doing things that ultimately improves the position you started in.
Q5) Are you currently learning any new skills or working on improving anything about yourself and why?
This is the 1st board I have been on and I am trying to learn as much as I can from our investors Inspirit Capital, and our Chairman as they have all been involved in many businesses and have a lot of experiences to lean on. I have learned a lot about how 3rd parties value your business and what external parties deem important. Part of my reasons for joining Vysus Group was to gain board experience which I had not had before. Personally I am trying to run marathons faster.
Q6) Looking back – can you pick out any achievement to date that you are the proudest of and why?
I was very proud to qualify with ACCA in 2005, it was tough having finished Uni and then trying to get straight back into self-directed study. A lot of people choose not to do further exams but I certainly think having the qualification helped opened doors.
Q7) Again, looking back, have you experienced adversity (or faced discrimination/prejudice) in your life and how has that shaped who you are today?
On a personal level I have not encountered direct discrimination or prejudice but certainly still feel it is an issue all of society have to address. In terms of adversity, my daughter Esme was born in 2014 with virtually no blood and has severe cerebal palsy which means she is wheelchair bound and unable to verbalise. We had not had any indication of issues during pregnancy, but unfortunately Esme being extremely unwell when born. No one is prepared for having a disabled child and it can drive many families apart. My wife Shirley is amazing (not that she realises it) and stopped working to care for Esme and it allowed me to continue to try and progress my career. Shirley and I have a very strong relationship and if one of us is having a bad day then usually the other is able to lift spirits. Esme is an amazing girl but there are many things that we cannot do as a family that we would like to. If I am honest the NHS is challenged and underfunded so to receive the correct support is a challenge. We have faced much adversity to get the support we have.
Q8) What is one key piece of advice you would pass onto someone/ to your younger self and why? or have you ever been given a piece of advice that has served you well?
Make the best use of the time you have with your friends and try and experience as much as you can. Just say yes to opportunities and see what happens, you usually have fun!
Q9) Looking at the arts, are there any specific films, songs, pieces of art, plays, books or podcasts that you have enjoyed/resonate with you, that you in turn, would recommend?
I am not a huge film fan but many years ago I watched a film called Late Night Shopping, a low budget British film that no one else has ever seen. I like it as it’s a good story of random people chucked together by circumstance who end up being good friends. Anyone who bothers to hunt it down will probably think its rubbish. I am probably stuck in the 90s with my music but you can’t look past the renaissance of Liam Gallagher and his Knebworth gigs this year will be superb. Podcast wise, I don’t really go for serious stuff, mainly podcasts on the latest failings of Aberdeen FC.
Q10) Bucket list / Travel. Can you recall your best holiday & what made it so? I.e. Is there anything/anywhere you have experienced that you highly recommend and anything/anywhere on your list you have still to do/go and visit?
The Maldives which I went to for my honeymoon, it was amazing. I love Ibiza and have been there many times, if you have not been you really need to go, a proper fun place to be. I do want to go the Caribbean for a Test Match but it may need to wait a while.
Q11) Your last supper. What dish are you eating (and why?)? & who are having it with (and why)? (Other than your immediate family, can be a person dead or alive or a fictional character)
I would have picked my family but seeing as that is out, I would probably just have a load of my mates for a curry and some beers and talk about all the stupid and fun things we have done over the years. If I must have someone famous I would have Liam Gallagher as he would be good fun and Eoin Jess to discuss all his great goals for Aberdeen.
Q12) What is your own definition of success / Your own vision of happiness / What’s your NorthStar?
I think success can take a number of forms, for me it is always important to leave things in a better place than you found them, the acid test of that is other people seeing a situation being noticeable better. It is also important to be true to yourself and even if sometimes people disagree with, if you’ve done your research and know that it’s the right thing to do you shouldn’t let it go without a fight. Ultimately though you need to be happy and ensure you enjoy your life.
Bonus Question) If I was to ask you, what you thought the meaning of life was to you? A big question I know, as it stands today – what would your answer be?
Life is to be enjoyed and ultimately make the lives of people you come into contact with better and fulfilled.
Biography:
Geoff Morrison, a qualified FCCA Accountant with 20+ years’ experience. Currently the Chief Financial Officer of Vysus Group, which was carved out from the Lloyd’s Register Group in 2021 and which is backed by private equity firm, Inspirit Capital. Vysus Group is an ambitious company, a leading engineering and technical consultancy offering specialist asset performance, risk management and project management expertise across complex industrial assets, energy assets (oil and gas, nuclear, renewables), the energy transition, rail and road. As a new company, it is still maturing its approach but has a long-term plan to grow from the current $125m business to upwards of $200M. The company is based in more than 20 countries worldwide and Geoff has global responsibility for all finance matters, including banking, reporting and dealing with 3rd parties. Geoff is also a member of the Vysus Group Board. Geoff has worked in several operational finance roles and in operations as the Vice President of Subsea Services in Aberdeen for Proserv. Following this Geoff held the role of CFO at Claxton, responsible for the finance function as well as the operations of the US, Dubai and Singapore sites which are around 1/3rd of the business. Previously, Geoff held diverse finance roles as VP of Finance for the UK region of Proserv, VP of Finance for Global Subsea Services and led Proserv’s FP&A. In July 2019, he managed the deal from Proserv’s side to sell the Subsea Services business to Acteon. As part of that deal, Geoff joined Acteon under the Claxton brand and took on the role of Claxton Group CFO. While at Proserv, Geoff successfully ran and rationalised Proserv’s Subsea business from an operational standpoint, moving the business from loss making to profitability. This role involved large levels of personal interaction with the 120 employees and close engagement with customers, promoting Proserv as a key subsea provider. Geoff has spent a large amount of time traveling in various roles, including 2 years spent working and living in Kazakhstan and Egypt. Over the years, Geoff has built up extensive experience of managing teams, including remote management. He also been Head of Finance for Aberdeen Airport, which involved a large degree of stakeholder engagement and commercial discussions with airlines and government agencies. He believes that key strengths at work are dealing with people across all levels of an organisation, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong administration and organisational skills along with a wide range of finance skills and decisive decision-making. He is most comfortable working in an environment with strong compliance and ethical beliefs, which are at the heart of Vysus Group’s operations. Geoff is an enthusiastic, conscientious and hardworking team player who is flexible and always willing to learn by taking on new challenges. He also deals confidently with adversity having overseen several cost reduction projects including 2 large redundancy events. Personal strengths are honesty, integrity and strong communication. Long term, Geoff is very positive about helping CEO David Clark build Vysus Group into a successful and sustainable company and believes that working for Vysus Group will play a key role in his career development and above all, is a very good company to be part of.