The Board, staff and members of the Global Underwater Hub were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Edgar, former chairman of Subsea UK, on 31st December 2022.

Bill began his career as an apprentice Mechanical Engineer with the British Steel Corporation (Colvilles Division) in 1954 at Motherwell and Glasgow. He was educated under a Colvilles Scholarship at Strathclyde University (Royal College of Science & Technology) graduating with 1st class honours in Mechanical Engineering. In 1962 he graduated from Birmingham University as a Master of Science in Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics and was a Chartered Engineer as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. 

In 1963 he joined the British Aircraft Corporation at Warton, Lancashire and subsequently became a Principal Aeromechanical Engineer. From 1967 to 1973 he was employed at Weir Pumps, Glasgow, initially as Chief Development Engineer and latterly as General Manufacturing Manager at the Cathcart Plant. In 1973 he joined Seaforth Maritime Ltd., Aberdeen as Chief Executive of the Engineering Division and later became a Main Board director responsible for engineering and subsequently corporate development. 

In 1986, he joined Vickers Marine Engineering Division as Director responsible for business development. In 1988 he was appointed as Executive Chairman of Cochrane Shipbuilders. He became the Chief Executive of the National Engineering Laboratory, an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade & Industry, in 1990, with a remit to prepare the establishment of privatisation. This assignment was completed with the successful sale of NEL in 1995. 

He then joined John Wood Group in Aberdeen in 1995 as Group Director responsible for Engineering and Production Facilities Division. In this capacity he was the Chairman & Chief Executive of Wood Group Engineering, a major North Sea contracting company and Chairman of J.P. Kenny Group of Consulting Engineers. As Chairman of the Division, he was responsible for 35 Business Units operating in 13 countries with an annual turnover in excess of $1 billion. 

He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1999 and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2003. He was appointed as a Visiting Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde University in August 2000 and was chairman of the Offshore Contractors Association for 3 years until May 2003.  

At the 157th Annual Meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), 26 May 2004, William (Bill) Edgar CBE MSc ARSCT FREng CEng FIMechE FRSE was elected the 119th President of the Institution. Bill’s election was in recognition of his long and distinguished engineering career, and his unrelenting support and encouragement for the mechanical engineering profession. 

At the Ordinary Meeting which followed his election, he presented his presidential address entitled ‘Engineering: From the Depths to the Heights’ which focussed and highlighted his career working within the aerospace and North Sea exploration sectors. He commented: "I am committed to promoting the Institution to the world at large and to supporting the membership in particular. The IMechE will continue its involvement in UK engineering, and exert its influence, thereby remaining a leading force in this fast-changing environment.”

Bill joined Subsea UK as Chair in January 2005 to help build and strengthen the relatively new organisation’s governance. His focus in the background was to ensure Subsea UK stuck to its task of supporting its members and representing the industry across a multitude of stakeholders. 

During his time at Subsea UK, he was well known for his boardroom capability and gained a huge amount of respect from the members of the board as well as external stakeholders. His experience and knowledge helped Subsea UK become established as one of the leading industry trade bodies in the country and gain the respect of government, energy leaders and major organisations around the world. 

Whilst part-time lecturing on mechanical engineering at Strathclyde University, he also helped a number of engineers on their way to attaining chartership status, providing advice and guidance, and was instrumental in establishing the Subsea UK grant awards scheme for MSc in Subsea Engineering.  

He supported three Chief Executives over his 16-year tenure at Subsea UK and more recently assisted the organisational governance as it made the decision to transition into the GUH (Global Underwater Hub). He maintained his Chair role working with the Chief Executive to allow continuity of the Board until finally stepping down in August 2021 to allow the new Global Underwater Hub Board and Chair to be established.

The Global Underwater Hub extends its deepest sympathies to Bill’s family and friends at this sad time. 

Neil Gordon, CEO, Global Underwater Hub