The Invest Plymouth Team recently sat down with Andrew Howie, General Manager and Co-founder of Pioneer Subsea to find out more about this amazing business right here in Britain's Ocean City.
Pioneer are dedicated to redefining the process of supplying short and long-term contracts for offshore personnel and pride themselves on providing a transparent, streamlined and professional recruitment process. As an offshore recruitment agency, the business is run by qualified offshore professionals with more than 40 years experience in the field themselves. They provide experienced, qualified and vetted personnel for ROV, Trenching, Tooling and AUV services, especially prevalent as we move towards an exciting future with floating offshore wind, offshore solar and other renewable energy sources.
What is the name of the company and how long have you been in Plymouth?
My company is called Pioneer Subsea, we began in December 2021 and have always been based in Plymouth. I've lived in Plymouth since 2004 after being posted here during my days in the Royal Navy
What is the sector that you specialise in?
We specialise in providing engineers and operators for remotely operated Vehicles (ROV). These workers usually operate in the oil & gas and renewable energy sectors.
In 20 words, how would you describe the business?
We recruit experienced, vetted offshore professionals for ROV, Trenching, Tooling, and Survey services, leveraging 40+ years' offshore expertise.
Do you supply to Plymouth/SW/UK-wide/overseas?
Our clients are currently a mixture of UK based and international.
What would you say was your best-selling product/service?
Our contractors. With the industry experience our founding directors have we are able to tap into the network this has created to ensure that our contractors have been thoroughly vetted and are suitable for our customers.
What would you say is the best thing about doing business in Plymouth?
The coast and many beaches in the surrounding area along with the beautiful moorland makes Plymouth a great place to live. Plus with such a wide range of people and backgrounds including students, armed forces and offshore workers its so easy to network.
And what of the future … where do you see Pioneer Subsea in 10 years’ time?
As a company that’s about to celebrate its 3rd birthday we are still in our growth and expansion stage. I certainly see an office space in our future and the services we are offering expanding into engineering personnel not restricted to the oil & gas and offshore renewable sector.
And how about yourself … how long have you been at Pioneer Subsea and what is your role?
I started Pioneer Subsea with some of my offshore colleagues and have been the man in the office since mid-2022. I am the general manager and do the day to day running of the business.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I have 2 young daughters who are social butterflies and live active lives. They certainly keep me busy in my time off. Other than that I unwind at a local archery club where I try to shoot 3 times a week.
If you could have a business lunch with anyone who could significantly influence you/the business, who would that be and why?
This is a difficult one. I wouldn’t mind meeting Simon Sinek because I like his idea behind the fact you need your “why” before you can sort out the what and the how. Probably help me figure out a few more whys so I can sort out the rest.