Planet Ian

Mairi the Magnificent has done a sterling job of updating our blogsite and staying connected with the outside (real?) world. It has been pretty much head down and bum up since I arrived in the this sandy, sunny, Sheik filled, oil soaked land. On the business front Qatar is truly a land of opportunity and the whole Gulf region has the feel of a boom town.

My office is located in West Bay and looks south across a beautiful half moon bay. It is at the heart of a new and rapidly rising commercial district. The view from my office window takes in 12 tower blocks which are rising from the earth in various stages of completion within a one kilometer radius, with 35 tower cranes looming overhead. The Nepalese and Indian workers work around the clock and live on site. Rather sadly the safety record of the construction industry is not very good and many of them never return home due to the number of fatalities.

The architecture is amazing and sometimes surreal as they blend Islamic with futuristic styles. The oil and gas industry is the engine driving the growth and there are currently billions of dollers being spent in this area with major projects planned for the very near future.

Worley Parsons has grown from 40 personnel to 160 in the last year and we expect to reach 250 by the end of the year. Maintaining quality of delivery under rapid growth conditions has been one of the major challenges. I'm enjoying the challenges of learning about the local business environment and being part of a successful team.