Partner Article

NOF Energy celebrates 25 years of growth

NOF Energy, the business support organisation for oil, gas, nuclear and offshore renewables, has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special Silver Jubilee Celebration Dinner at the Gateshead Hilton.

The dinner, which was attended by hundreds of industry professionals, celebrated the growth of the business development organisation which represents a cluster of more than 420 member companies with skills, products and services that are in demand from energy markets around the world.

The event’s Strategic Partner was GE Oil & Gas. The celebration was also supported by five Silver Star sponsors, which are all long-standing members of NOF Energy, BEL Valves, Darchem Engineering, LV Shipping, Phusion and Ward Hadaway.

Guests were taken on an audio/visual journey through 25 years of NOF Energy and the energy industry before being entertained by well-known, international buskers, The Gypsy Queens, who have performed for celebrities including Bono and Elton John.

One of the night’s special guests was Lisa Winfrey, the first ever winner of the organisation’s Young Achiever of the Year Award in 2000.

Originally from Middlesbrough, Lisa now works for GE Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas and returned to the UK to be presented with an award in recognition of her successful career in the energy industry.

She originally won the Young Achiever Award while working for Morpeth based Hedley Purvis Ltd and has gone on to enjoy a successful career in engineering and has worked across the globe.

Lisa, who has 22 years’ experience in the industry as a mechanical engineer, is currently Subsea Engineering Service Leader for GE Oil & Gas in Houston.

She said: “I was very proud to receive a special honour at the event. Winning the Young Achiever of the Year Award was an important moment in the early part of my career. Since then, and with particularly with GE, I have developed a successful career in the energy industry.

“It was wonderful to share in NOF Energy’s 25th anniversary celebrations on a really special night. Returning to the North East gave me the opportunity to see the developments being made by GE Oil & Gas in the UK, which emphasised the importance this region has to the industry. It, of course, also allowed me to catch up with old friends and enjoy some excellent North East England hospitality!”

Founded in the region in 1988, and with its headquarters still in the North East, NOF Energy has grown to become a national organisation with an international presence.

NOF Energy offers business development support, advice and guidance for supply chain companies in the energy sector. It also provides access to business opportunities, project updates and makes introductions between its members and prospective clients and partners, both in domestic markets and internationally.

Chief Executive of NOF Energy, George Rafferty said: “The Silver Jubilee dinner was a wonderful event and a great way to celebrate a significant milestone for our members and our organisation.

“The success of NOF Energy in facilitating, supporting and enabling the creation of opportunities and new business for our members is indeed a cause for celebration.

“We are very proud of the vitality of this industry and its continuing ability to find solutions for challenges across the energy sectors in locations around the world.

“While we took the opportunity to look back over the last 25 years, the event will also prove to be a springboard into what will prove to be another vibrant growth period for the energy industry and this organisation and its members are primed to be at the heart of its on-going success.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .