Zoe Suren, Founder and Managing Director at EnergiLink, a search firm specialising in providing upstream technical and commercial skillsets in to E&P and alternative energies, in conversation with Daniel Mackay, Managing Director of Aberdeen-based NRG Group.

Daniel Mackay is the Managing Director of Aberdeen-based NRG Group, guiding three complementary businesses that provide well-integrity assurance, well engineering & project management, and specialist energy personnel to clients worldwide. An honours graduate in Mechanical Engineering & Management from the University of Edinburgh, Daniel began his career as a drilling engineer, gaining offshore and onshore experience across the UKCS, West Africa, and Australia before progressing into supervisory and commercial roles.

With 18 years in the upstream sector, he now sets NRG’s strategy, culture, and M&A agenda, most recently leading the acquisition of McGregor Consultants to expand the Group’s recruitment and project-delivery capabilities. Known for his extensive industry network and collaborative leadership style, Daniel focuses on building motivated, high-performing teams that deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable solutions for operators while helping bridge traditional oil-and-gas expertise into the broader energy transition.

Inspirational Career Insights:

Daniel, could you elaborate on your current role as Managing Director at NRG Group?

My role is multi-faceted. I’m responsible for shaping the overarching vision and strategy for all three businesses within the NRG Group, ensuring each has the resources and support necessary to continue delivering outstanding results for our clients. A major part of this involves exploring new methods of working, identifying potential collaborations with complementary businesses, and strengthening our service offerings and market reach. 

What are NRG’s aspirations for growth and development in the upcoming years?

In a mature and often misunderstood industry like oil and gas, organic growth can be challenging. To stand out, we deliberately look for ways to do things differently. I dedicate a significant amount of time to nurturing relationships with key individuals across the upstream sector, those connections help us stay responsive to evolving market needs. Over the years, the NRG Group has also evolved through targeted M&A, most notably with the recent addition of McGregor Consultants. Above all, I remain open to diverse ways of working, whether that’s forging strategic partnerships or integrating complementary services.

Starting your journey as Junior Drilling Engineer, can you walk us through your career progression within the E&P sector?

With NRG being a family business, I was naturally immersed in the oil and gas industry from a young age. Watching my father build the business so successfully inspired me to follow in his footsteps, though I had to start at the bottom.

After graduating, I began my career as a junior drilling engineer with NRG, spending the next seven years working both onshore and offshore, across the UKCS and West Africa. Seeking broader life and career experiences, I moved to Australia, where I contributed to several exciting projects both domestically and internationally. In 2017, I returned to Aberdeen to take on a more development-focused role at NRG, particularly as my father was approaching retirement. By 2019, I became Managing Director of the NRG Group, while my father transitioned to the role of Chairman, and I’ve held that position ever since.

Many professionals in the E&P world aim to explore diverse industries. How does NRG navigate this transition?

The energy landscape is undoubtedly changing, and we’ve embraced that shift wholeheartedly. Through our personnel division, we work with companies across the renewables and energy transition space, helping individuals from traditional oil and gas roles find opportunities in hydrogen or other emerging sectors. By being open-minded, flexible, and well-connected, we facilitate smooth transitions and ensure that valuable oil and gas expertise continues to benefit the broader energy industry.

What advice would you offer to individuals looking to make a move within this industry?

The industry still has a great deal to offer, and young people in particular shouldn’t doubt the longevity of a career in oil and gas. There’s real opportunity here, and it’s also home to a diverse community of fascinating individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. Building a strong network is key, and it can be a lot of fun, too. I’d encourage anyone looking to enter the industry to attend events, conferences, and gatherings, and to start building relationships early. You never know where one conversation might lead.

As you continue to advance professionally, are there specific skills or areas you plan to focus on to enhance your own expertise?

It’s impossible to ignore how rapidly AI is reshaping the way we work. The train has left the station, either you embrace it or get left behind. From an efficiency standpoint, leveraging AI and automation can create significant competitive advantages and help maintain a lean business model. Developing an in-depth understanding of how these technologies impact operations, decision-making, and client solutions is at the top of my agenda.

When building your own team, what are the critical skills and qualities you prioritize in potential hires?

Naturally, different roles demand different technical abilities, but across all positions, we look for people who are personable, empathetic, and able to work effectively in a team. NRG has been fortunate to attract high-caliber professionals for more than 25 years, and we uphold a culture that values open communication and mutual respect. At the end of the day, we want people who thrive in a collaborative environment and are motivated by shared success.

What’s it like running a family business, especially working so closely with your sister, Erica, who is NRG Group’s Commercial Director?

Working with family is uniquely rewarding. Erica and I bring different skillsets and perspectives to the business, so work very well together and very rarely get in each others way. Being brother and sister there's a deep level of trust between us, and that helps us make decisions with confidence. We’re both passionate about the company and its people, and we share the same long-term vision for NRG, so working together has only reinforced our commitment to building something meaningful and sustainable.

Group Companies

NRG Well Management
NRG Well Management provides UKCS and International well engineering and project management services, across the full life cycle of exploration, appraisal, development, production and decommissioned wells. As part of this the Company offer detailed engineering design, contracts and procurement services, and HSE and logistics management.

NRG Well Management have a wide range of well management experience, varying from HPHT, ERD, deep water, to remote location operations for both large global operators and smaller independents.

NRG Well Examination
NRG Well Examination provides professional integrity assurance services to the global upstream oil and gas industry, including Europe, Africa, Middle East, S.E. Asia and Latin America.

The multi-disciplined team includes Well Engineers, Drilling Engineers, Project Managers and HSE Managers along with other related discipline engineers with sufficient experience to support our overall service offering.

McGregor Consultants
McGregor Consultants is a recognised energy recruitment specialist serving the global oil, gas, and renewable industries. Established in 2006, the business has grown from a two-person operation into a global enterprise, specialising in matching the best qualified people to high-level oil, gas and renewables posts worldwide.

LEADERSHIP/CONTACT

Daniel Mackay Managing Director
Erica Mcpherson Commercial Director
Peter Robinson Non Executive Director
Heidi Philp Services & Quality Manager

NRG Group
8 Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen, AB10 1YP, Scotland

Email: admin@nrgltd.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 864222

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