Meet the Team: Donald MacMillan
The team at AqualisBraemar shares the passion, vision and values for working in energy and the world’s oceans, de-risking and driving the energy transition. We are driven by the idea that the best work is born from professionalism, diligence… and fun. You know AqualisBraemar, but do you know our team?
Donald MacMillan, Country Manager | KSA & Bahrain
What do you do at AqualisBraemar?
I am the Country Manager for AqualisBraemar KSA & Bahrain. I lead a team of Master Mariners, a Marine Chief Engineer and an Electrical Engineer, based in Manama, who provide our clients in both Kingdoms expert services across a number of business lines.
We work closely with Saudi Aramco and the main drilling contractors in KSA, providing MWS services and Tow Masters to facilitate safe rig move operations. We provide Saudi Aramco approved Marine Specialists to oversee offshore construction projects in KSA. In addition, we offer locally based DP consultancy & assurance, project & cargo MWS, as well as marine casualty investigation services to our clients.
As an ex-seafarer and having spent 14 years at sea from Navigating Cadet to Master, I keep a hands-on approach to the role and regularly attend rig move operations and vessel/rig inspections, aside from the day-to-day management, business development and support to staff the role entails.
What excites you the most about our industry?
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are exciting and diversified markets. We have established ourselves well with a large number of clients in both countries. As both markets continue to grow and diversify, so do we; as we actively identify new clients we can offer our range of services to and find new ways to support our existing ones. I look forward to supporting our client’s operations through the changes ahead in the oil and energy markets whilst striving to maintain AqualisBraemar’s position as the go-to consultancy in the region.
What made you join AqualisBraemar?
Having made the switch from Sea to Shore in 2013, I worked in surveying and management roles for consultancies in Aberdeen, Qatar and the UAE. When the opportunity arose to join AqualisBraemar in 2018, I was already familiar with a lot of the team, and I was confident it was the right place for me to continue to grow and develop in my career. The extensive knowledge and experience shared across the company, as well as the support offered by senior management and co-workers during my time here, has proven me right!
What do you do when you are not working?
As with many ex-seafarers, a key factor in my decision to come ashore was to spend more time with my family. As such, the majority of my free time is spent enjoying life in the sun with my wife and our two daughters.
I keep an eye on the football back home in Scotland, which can be painful at times, and I play darts along with friends in Bahrain each week (we all agreed we wanted to stick to a sport we could drink a beer while playing).
I love to travel. The past year has been challenging for us all on that front. However, I look forward to visiting family and friends (old and new) around the globe in the near future.