Pipeline Industries Guild President: Neil Armstrong - CEO & Chairman United Living
Neil Armstrong presidential address for Pipeline Industries Guild, January 2025
As I take on the role of the President of the Pipeline Industry Guild, I would particularly like to thank our outgoing President, Jon Butterworth, for the fantastic work he has done for the Guild during his tenure. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to be following in his footsteps, and I am extremely proud to take on this position and continue the legacy of excellence that has defined our Guild for over 60 years. Our members have long been the cornerstone of the UK's infrastructure, playing a pivotal role in the delivery of essential services that millions rely on every day.
The significance of infrastructure to the UK's economy is immense. It is the foundation that supports our daily lives, enabling businesses to prosper and communities to grow. With the twin challenges of upgrading aging infrastructure and supporting the transition to sustainable energy sources, we are poised to lead the way in innovation and resilience.
One of our most pressing challenges is the need to modernise and enhance our existing infrastructure. Many of our pipelines, which have served us well for decades, now require upgrades to meet modern demands and safety standards.
The upcoming AMP8 regulatory period for the UK water sector, brings a significant investment of £96bn. This substantial increase from AMP7's £51bn outlay highlights the critical need for infrastructure development.
This task is monumental, but it presents us with the opportunity to integrate innovative technologies that can improve efficiency, reliability, and environmental performance.
Simultaneously, we must address the urgent need to support the energy transition. Infrastructure needs to be upgraded and developed to transport low-carbon hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas. The UK government has announced up to £21.7 billion over the next 25 years for the development of two new carbon capture clusters. These clusters will remove and store more than 8.5 million tonnes of industrial carbon emissions annually.
Our industry is uniquely positioned to facilitate this transition, leveraging our expertise to support the integration of renewable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions. This commitment to sustainability is not just about preserving the environment; it is about securing a prosperous future for generations to come.
However, with growth comes the question of how we deliver it, the huge challenge we face is the skills gap within our sector. As the industry evolves, there is an increasing demand for a workforce capable of delivering the projects necessary to maintain our critical infrastructure.
We face significant competition across infrastructure projects for resources, as well as from other sectors that are looking at the same.
We must reposition our sector as a key player in the energy transition and invest in education, training, and development programmes that attract and nurture talent. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, we can ensure that our workforce remains at the forefront of technological advancements.
Pipeline Industries Guild Chair: Barry Hayward - Chief Commercial Officer, South Staffordshire Plc.
Welcome to all those engaged or interested in The Pipeline Industries Guild. As Chair, it is an amazing honour to know that I have been elected by our members to serve in their best interest, for what is such an important organisation for our sector.
I was introduced to the PIG by Ruth Allen and first joined the Board as an Independent Director in 2015, taking the Chair of the Audit Committee in 2017 and helping reshape the Board structure across those years, commenting and supporting from a control of governance perspective. I moved to DC2 two years ago being part of the Guild Executive during that time. I have supported the Wales & West Branch for many years, including dinners and charity events our wonderful technical events and mentoring many of the YPN Chairs (including several winners of the Ruth Allen award).
As the Chief Commercial Officer CCO of South Staffordshire Plc, I support and help grow the regulated (licenced) water companies and contracting businesses in our portfolio. Prior to this held senior leadership roles across the utilities sector delivering regulated and unregulated activities for water, gas and waste management in the UK and across Europe. This has given me a unique view of the challenges of both client and contractor sides of our industry, which I will use to further the Guild in my year.
I am a passionate believer that our industry works on the quality of our people and the growth and change planned for utilities in the next five years presents a great risk to our businesses but also a great opportunity. While the big challenges of technical excellence, asset management and Net Zero will remain a focus, we also need to ensure we are delivering on our Mission to develop the future talent and leaders, which will be a key focus in the coming 12 months.
Our industries have never been so challenged or felt so exciting, but working on this together will bring great successes. Our Guild is uniquely placed, with our technical panels and branches, to collaborate, share expertise and bring true innovation to our sectors. Your Board and I will work to ensure that our technical, networking and charity events add value to all our members and that we feel part of a wide and open community.