Neil Duffin

Profile

Why did you choose to study at Heriot-Watt University?

I joined Heriot-Watt in 1975, but I almost didn’t come to this university because I wanted to be a RAF pilot at age 16. Guidance to get a degree first changed my mindset, and I decided on studying mechanical engineering instead. At the end of 2^nd year I thought to jump ship to the new Petroleum Engineering course because I could see that was an area that was really taking off, but my professor advised me against doing so based on learning all the fundamentals that mechanical engineering offered! After graduation, I went on to build a career with Mobil Oil (which later became ExxonMobil): at my first interview I convinced my potential employer that I had all the necessary know-how because my degree had given me a deep understanding of fluid and thermodynamics and I felt I knew all the equations that underpin the sector.

What's your favourite / most memorable memory of your time as a Heriot-Watt student?

I have really positive memories of my time at Heriot-Watt: it was when the Edinburgh campus was just getting established and I loved all the facilities—I was a big soccer player—and I made great friends, including meeting Marianne who became my wife.

Tell us about your career since graduating from Heriot-Watt.

Joining Mobil Oil marked the beginning of a long, continuous and wonderful career with them, but because I had multiple roles and worked in different locations, it often didn’t feel like I was in the same company!

I started in engineering and was a platform manager in the North Sea for several years. I also worked in the corporate office, and then in 1998 I became Senior Vice President, Mobil Oil Indonesia, with responsibility for exploration and production operations throughout the country, arriving as the overthrow of Suharto (the Indonesian military general who served as the country's second and longest-serving President from 1967 to 1998) was happening, so that was an interesting time.

Mobil and Exxon merged at the end of 1999 and that’s when I went to Houston, Texas, as one of the Vice Presidents of ExxonMobil Development Company for Russia/Caspian Sea and the Middle East. I went to Houston thinking ‘ok, another three-year stint and then I’ll see’ but I ended up with a great portfolio, a growth portfolio, and so I remained based in Houston because my career evolved in ways I found really stimulating.

Over my career I’ve run upstream operations and production operations and then later had the opportunity to put together a new organisation to undertake global projects. I became President of ExxonMobil Global Projects Company in 2019 and held that post until I retired.

How has your Heriot-Watt University education contributed to your success?

I have a great affection for the University and what it did for me and my career. What also interests me, is how the University continues to produce graduates who lead organisations to success. While I was at ExxonMobil I hosted a forum with four presidents, myself and three others, and three of us had an association with Heriot-Watt. And in my time with the company we hired a range of people from the University, which made me realise the importance of Heriot-Watt to this field, the contribution it has made to not only the growth of our company but many others in the sector.

What is your lasting impression of Heriot-Watt University?

I am currently a member of American Friends of Heriot-Watt University (AFoHWU) and of the Campaign Global Council for Shaping Futures. I continue to be impressed by Heriot-Watt! Until I became engaged with AFoHWU I hadn’t actually appreciated quite how the University had expanded its interests and its capabilities. I find its growth and outlook and the opportunities it is creating very stimulating. I am excited to be part of shaping the future of it.

What would be your advice to other students and graduates?

I think seeing the bigger picture is so important, the interconnectedness of things. Looking at how you can bring elements together to reach a goal. My approach has always been about identifying a clear pathway to get to each goal and about making links and connections that support that pathway which will ultimately ensure you succeed.